Edgar Wright’s new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man opens in theaters next week and the eagerly anticipated film is already getting positive reactions. Early reactions to the film praise star Glen Powell’s performance, its action-packed satire, and its faithful adaptation of King’s source material, with some even saying that the film is the best King adaptation this year — and it’s been a good year for King adaptations. But now the film is getting what might be some of the highest praise possible from the man who starred in the original 1987 adaptation of the same story.
On Instagram, Wright shared video of Schwarzenegger offering his thoughts on the film, giving his blessing to both the filmmaker and Powell for their work, saying that this new version actually is better than his version because it “upped” what had been previously done.
“The only movie that I always wanted to have redone of my movies was Running Man,” Schwarzenegger said. So now this one really upped it and did exactly that. So really fantastic. And the action was unbelievable and creative.”
Of course, it isn’t just Schwarzenegger who got to share his appreciation for The Running Man in the video Wright shared. The filmmaker honored Schwarzenegger and his version by including a clever Eater egg in the film by including his face on the $100 bills used in the dystopian future of The Running Man — and gave the actor a giant version of one to call his own.
It’s a big deal for Schwarzenegger to have praise for The Running Man. While his 1987 version was almost nothing like King’s book, it was one of the actor’s most popular films from the ‘80s and the film has long been associated with him. King not only offering his praise but noting that Wright’s film is an improvement over his own film — and one that delivers on his own desire to have seen The Running Man redone — speaks highly of the upcoming film. This also isn’t the first time Schwarzenegger has offered praise for the upcoming adaptation. Powell told Screen Rant previously that the actor said that it was “the first time Stephen’s vision has been properly adapted.”
Add to that King’s own praise for the film and it seems like the new The Running Man very well could be the adaptation fans have been waiting for. King called the upcoming film “DIE HARD for our time. A bipartisan thrill ride” on social media and given that King is notoriously direct about how he feels about adaptations of his work, it’s high praise indeed.
With all of the praise the film is getting it’s starting to look like 2025 might end up being the year of Stephen King. The Monkey, The Life of Chuck, and The Long Walk all came out this year and were all well-received adaptations of the iconic writer’s work. There’s also television’s IT: Welcome to Derry that has also been well-received. With The Running Man potentially shaping up to be the best yet, it certainly seems like it’s a great time to be a King fan — and hopefully that will translate to a good box office run as well when The Running Man opens in theaters November 14th.
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