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The Running Man, the latest Stephen King adaptation of the year, has arrived – and as you might expect from a King movie, there are plenty of Running Man Easter eggs to pore over, featuring references to the prolific author's vast body of work in the film.
Edgar Wright's take on the tale isn't a remake of the '80s movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but is instead a fresh adaptation of King's novel. Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards, a man who enters the titular deadly game show in the hopes of supporting his wife and child.
Below, we've rounded up the five biggest Easter eggs we spotted, so you can get up to speed at a glance on what the film is hiding. But, be warned, there are spoilers for the movie ahead, so turn back now if you haven't seen it yet. If you're in the mood for more King, you can check out our guide to all the IT: Welcome to Derry Easter eggs, too, or see our roundup of the most exciting upcoming movies.
Bachman's
At the start of the Running Man contest, Ben Richards jumps in a taxi that drives him through town. In the background, a building named "Bachman's" can be seen. This is a reference to King's pen name, Richard Bachman, under which he wrote the novel The Running Man. King wrote seven books total using the name: Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man, Thinner, The Regulators, and Blaze.
Derry, Maine
Your eyes and ears don't deceive you: Ben Richards does indeed end up taking refuge in Derry, Maine halfway through the film. This, of course, is the fictional town that IT is set in, making this a Stephen King crossover. Now, The Running Man is set in the future, so Pennywise is no longer causing havoc (that we know of, anyway). So, Richards doesn't have to add "killer supernatural clown" to his list of problems.
However, IT isn't the first time Derry shows up in King's bibliography. He first mentioned the town in a short story named "The Bird and the Album," published in 1981. Other King works that either reference Derry or visit the town include 11/22/63, Pet Sematary, Misery, and Insomnia.
Tabby's Diner
While Richards is posing as a priest, he passes Tabby's Diner. This is a reference to King's wife, Tabitha, nicknamed Tabby. Tabitha King is an author herself and has published eight novels.
The money
This isn't strictly a Stephen King reference, but the new dollars in the world of The Running Man feature Arnold Schwarzenegger as the president. That's because Schwarzenegger played Ben Richards in the 1987 Paul Michael Glaser movie. That version of The Running Man, though, isn't very faithful to the book, and Wright's movie is a new adaptation of the source material that sticks more closely to King's story.
The ending
King's novel ends with Richards' family murdered, and Richards flies his plane directly into the building that houses the Network, killing both him and the boss Killian. While the new film changes the ending, the DNA of the novel can still be seen – Killian tricks Richards into thinking his family has been killed, and Richards threatens to fly the plane into the Network headquarters and sets the plane on course to do just that when it's shot down (though, Richards pulls off a daring escape and survives).
The Running Man is in UK cinemas now and US theaters from November 14. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Stephen King movies and the best Stephen King movies.
