After Glen Powell recently talked about Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s reaction to 2025’s The Running Man, the Hollywood legend was caught directly telling the actor and director Edgar Wright what he thinks about the movie. Schwarzenegger was the first to play Ben Richards in the 1987 adaptation of the Stephen King book, and while the action movie was released during the actor’s peak, it wasn’t widely acclaimed. Although it is now a cult classic, Schwarzenegger himself revealed that it is the only one of his films he ever wanted to see remade.
The moment was caught on camera, as Schwarzenegger met Powell and Wright, and he thanked them for achieving such a gratifying experience. They all reposted the video on Instagram, with Wright writing the following caption: “This was such a moment. A passing of batons between Running Men. Thank you Mr @schwarzenegger for being so kind and generous to our production. And enjoy your very special cash prize!” Before being handed a huge mock-up bill with his face on it, Schwarzenegger tells the actor and director that The Running Man needed a re-imagining, and that it was the one project he always hoped would be remade:
“The only movie that I always wanted to have redone of my movies was The Running Man. So now, this one really upped it and did exactly that. The action was unbelievable and creative. So, really fantastic.”
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures, The Running Man will be released nationwide in theaters on November 14 (with some international markets catching it a few days earlier). Wright directs and co-writes with collaborator Michael Bacall. Joining Powell is a set of stars that includes Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Colman Domingo, Katy O’Brian, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, Jayme Lawson, and Emilia Jones, among others. The film follows Ben Richards, a reality TV series contestant who accepts the challenge of a competition where he’s hunted by skillful assassins. If Richards survives, he will become a millionaire winner in the hit TV series of the future.
Does ‘The Running Man’ Do Justice to Stephen King’s Original 1982 Novel?
The 2025 version of The Running Man should not be addressed as a remake. The film is a whole new experience inspired by the original novel by Stephen King (originally published under the author’s short-lived pseudonym Richard Bachman). The source material is a bleak glimpse into a dystopian future that sees Ben Richards fight a corrupt system. The conclusion is grim and dark, with both film adaptations drifting away from the original ending to make it more commercially appealing.
The 1987 adaptation grabs elements from King’s novel, and frames its story with the basics of the deadly competition. But aside from that, Schwarzenegger’s film doesn’t tackle the themes that made the book a pessimistic look into the future. These themes are ironically much more relevant today, and Wright ensures these ideas are woven into his adaptation. Though it is a high-octane action movie with one of the genre’s most prominent stars at the moment, 2025’s The Running Man is a bit more faithful in spirit to King’s original vision.
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