The Running Man, Stephen King‘s dystopian novel that was very loosely adapted into an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie in the ’80s, is getting a new adaptation from none other than Edgar Wright.
Wright’s adaptation will stick more closely to King’s book, which was set in a world where people risked their lives on a deadly game show to earn a billion-dollar jackpot. Wright is tackling the story adaptation for the film with Michael Bacall, and Bacall will write the script.
Deadline broke the news that a new Running Man movie is on the way from Edgar Wright. You no doubt know the title – it was turned into a goofy-but-entertaining 1987 action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Dawson. However, that film was an incredibly loose adaptation of its source material – a book written by Stephen King under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. Here’s the book’s synopsis:
A desperate man attempts to win a reality TV game where the only objective is to stay alive in this #1 national bestseller from Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman.
It was the ultimate death game in a nightmare future America. The year is 2025 and reality TV has grown to the point where people are willing to wager their lives for a chance at a billion-dollar jackpot. Ben Richards is desperate—he needs money to treat his daughter’s illness. His last chance is entering a game show called The Running Man where the goal is to avoid capture by Hunters who are employed to kill him. Surviving this month-long chase is another issue when everyone else on the planet is watching—and willing to turn him in for the reward.
Each night all Americans tune in to watch. So far, the record for survival is only eight days. Can Ben Richards beat the brutal odds, beat the rigged game, beat the entire savage system? He’s betting his life that he can…
The Deadline report adds that Wright’s new movie “will be much more faithful” to King’s book. Wright is working on co-writing the story with Michael Bacall, whose credits include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, and more. Bacall will then write the script. Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon will produce through the Genre Films banner, along with Nira Park from Wright’s Complete Fiction production company.
Wright has more than a few potential films in the pipeline – there’s Stage 13, about a haunted film studio; an adaptation of the thriller novel The Chain; and Set My Heart to Five, about a screenplay-writing robot. However, the Deadline reports that The Running Man is a “top priority” for Paramount and that Wright has dreamed of making the movie for several years now. In other words, there’s a good chance he jumps into this before he gets to any of those other projects. Wright’s next movie, Last Night in Soho, is set to open April 23, 2021.
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