The writer of the 1987 Running Man movie has responded to the new Stephen King adaptation's disappointing box office opening – and he says he was "rooting" for the movie, which stars Glen Powell as reality show contestant Ben Richards.
"I was totally rooting for it because I figured the more people see this movie, [then they] will want to go out and rent the old one, just for comparison’s sakes," screenwriter Steven E. de Souza told The Hollywood Reporter. "So, win-win."
The Running Man only made a total of $28 million at the global box office over its opening weekend and received mixed reviews from critics. The movie currently holds a score of 65% on Rotten Tomatoes and our own The Running Man review gave the film two stars.
Some of the criticism of the movie revolves around the film's ending and its deviation from the source material. "I read it and [felt that] on paper, they got the ending working," he continued. "Even the reviews that love it say it stumbles at the end. It seems to me that this time around, something went wrong between the page and the stage again."
The '80s version of The Running Man starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards. There are some key differences between that movie and director Edgar Wright's new version, including that the titular game show in the 1987 movie plays out in an arena, whereas the 2025 adaptation is a cross-country chase – just like in King's novel. However, de Souza thinks the two movies' endings have a lot in common.
"The book’s ending is a downer, so you need a new ending," he added. "I would say that both the ’87 version and this version tweak the ending in pretty much the same way, except that in our version, we had less money, so it’s a little simpler. Maybe the third version in 2045 will stick the landing."
No spoilers here in case you haven't seen the movie yet, but Wright's ending is a little less bleak and a little more hopeful than King's novel (see our guide to The Running Man ending explained for a more detailed breakdown). The author was reportedly a fan of the changes, though.
"What was very gratifying to me is Stephen King had to sign off on the adaptation, so there was a point in the production where we had to send him the script to get his approval, and he loved the script, and he said, 'I think you did a great job with the ending,'" Wright previously told GamesRadar+.
The Running Man is out now in theaters. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the other upcoming Stephen King movies on the way.
