Multi-talented director Edgar Wright has expressed interest in remaking Stephen King’s The Running Man, and there are already exciting updates about the project. Originally written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, King’s The Running Man is set in a dystopian future where a cop is falsely imprisoned and must compete in a deadly game show to secure his freedom. The novel served as a precursor to later popular fiction like Battle Royal and The Hunger Games and is generally considered one of King’s more underappreciated minor works.
Naturally, Hollywood came calling to adapt the book in 1987 and screen icon Arnold Schwarzenegger was tapped to play the lead role of Ben Richards. Stephen King wasn’t too fond of the adaptation, and the movie received mixed reviews along with a mildly disappointing box office performance (via Box Office Mojo). However, modern reassessments of the film have been more positive, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World director Edgar Wright has specifically mentioned The Running Man as the film he would most like to remake. The project was announced back in 2021, but updates have been few and far between.
The Running Man Remake Latest News
Though updates have been scant, the biggest news regarding The Running Man remake regards the film’s script. The encouraging Running Man script update was delivered by Simon Kinberg, the producer for the project, who specifically mentioned that Wright was actively working on the screenplay along with Michael Bacall. Offering even more encouraging news, Kinberg mentioned that he hoped “Edgar could maybe direct next year“, meaning the movie might be further along than previously thought. Wright’s entire journey to the director’s chair for the film started after he made a tweet expressing interest in remaking the ’80s sci-fi film.
The Running Man Remake Is Not Confirmed
Despite the announcement that The Running Man script is being written, the movie is not officially confirmed yet. Projects are announced all the time that eventually fall through, though Edgar Wright’s name does carry a bit more weight. Nevertheless, The Running Man hasn’t been added to the Paramount Pictures slate, and little else has been revealed about the movie’s timeline besides Kinberg’s rather optimistic projection of a 2024 shooting date. That being said, it’s possible that the movie will be officially confirmed quite soon since movies this early in production don’t typically offer a lot of up-to-the-minute updates.
The Running Man Remake Production Status
Considering the updates given by Simon Kinberg, The Running Man remake is still in the pre-production phase and no concrete production schedule has been set. The screenwriting and planning phase can go on for a long time, especially with a meticulous director like Edgar Wright involved, who puts a lot of time and effort into his films on the story level. If Kinberg is right and the movie begins shooting in 2024, the earliest it could be expected would be late 2025 because of the lengthy post-production process that will be needed to bring Stephen King’s dystopian world to life.
The Running Man
- Release Date:
- 1987-11-13
- Director:
- Paul Michael Glaser
- Cast:
- Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jesse Ventura, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Dawson
- Rating:
- R
- Runtime:
- 101 minutes
- Genres:
- Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action
- Writers:
- Steven E. de Souza
- Summary:
- Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, The Running Man is a sci-fi action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Ben Richards, a former cop who’s forced to compete in a deadly game show where criminals fight for their lives. The 1987 movie is based on a Stephen King novel under his pen name Richard Bachman.
- Budget:
- $27 million
