Stephen King Called This His Worst Adaptation—But Is It Really That Bad?

Stephen King is well known for being very honest about how he feels when movies are made from his books. He has criticized many adaptations, including the famous version of The Shining directed by Stanley Kubrick. Another film he didn’t like at all is The Running Man, a 1987 movie directed by Paul Michael Glaser.

King was so unhappy with The Running Man movie that he asked the studio to remove his name from the advertising. Instead of showing Stephen King as the author, the film credits say it’s based on a book by Richard Bachman, which is actually a fake name King used for some of his novels.

The biggest issue King had was how different the movie was from his original story. The book is dark, serious, and has a grim tone. The movie, however, is lighter and more fun, filled with action and a happy ending. Even though the film changes a lot from the book, some fans think both the movie and the novel have good qualities on their own.

The story in the movie is set in a future version of the United States, between the years 2017 and 2019. It shows a deadly TV game show where criminals, called “runners,” must survive while being chased by professional killers. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the lead role, trying to escape the deadly game. The film also stars María Conchita Alonso, Richard Dawson, Yaphet Kotto, and Jesse Ventura.

When it first came out, The Running Man made a moderate amount of money, earning $38 million from a $27 million budget. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews. Some thought the action scenes were too similar to each other, while others liked the performances and enjoyed the movie’s humorous look at television culture. The film didn’t take itself too seriously, which some viewers appreciated.

Many action fans found the movie fun, but others felt it was too violent and that its attempt to criticize society was shallow. Review websites today show that about two-thirds of critics gave the movie positive ratings, and audiences gave it a good score as well.

Over the years, people have noticed that The Running Man made some interesting predictions about the future. It imagined economic problems, a wide gap between rich and poor, and society’s obsession with reality TV shows. One of the film’s writers even said that a real show called American Gladiators used clips from The Running Man when pitching their idea, saying, “We’re doing exactly this, except the murdering part.”

A new version of The Running Man is currently being made. Directed by Edgar Wright, it will star Glen Powell and is set to come out in 2025.

So, is The Running Man really a bad movie just because Stephen King didn’t like it? Not really. It’s very different from the dark and serious book, but it has its own kind of entertainment. People who enjoy action and sci-fi might find it a fun classic from the 1980s with some smart ideas about the future.

If you have thoughts on this, feel free to share them in the comments!