10 Ways Edgar Wright's The Running Man Remake Will Be Different From Schwarzenegger's Version

Summary

Expect a faithful adaptation – Edgar Wright’s take on The Running Man will stick closely to Stephen King’s novel.
Wright’s unique style promises a more experimental and stylized remake.
The remake will feature a different antagonist and setting, providing a darker vision of a dystopian future.

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Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man promises to be completely different to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s version, as the British director claims that he will stick to Stephen King’s novel. Schwarzenegger’s 1987 adaptation is a cult action classic, but it has very little in common with the Stephen King book that it’s based on, except for the fact that both stories feature a man who competes in a dystopian game where his life is at stake.

Now, 37 years later, Edgar Wright is helming a second adaptation with Hit Man star Glen Powell stepping into Schwarzenegger’s old role. Powell has promised that this new adaptation of The Running Man will be more recognizable to fans of the novel. With Wright and Powell teaming up for the first time, The Running Man is an exciting prospect, but fans of the 1987 original should know that this will be a radically different take on the story.

10 The Remake Will Be A More Faithful Adaptation

Edgar Wright is a big fan of the novel

Edgar Wright’s version of The Running Man will follow Stephen King’s novel much closer. This is the most important plot-related news that has been released about the project so far, but it has plenty of implications. The original adaptation of The Running Man has its fans, but nobody can claim that it is a faithful adaptation. King himself has been vocal about his distaste for the movie.

The original adaptation of The Running Man has its fans, but nobody can claim that it is a faithful adaptation. King himself has been vocal about his distaste for the movie.

There are a few Stephen King adaptations which make massive changes, and they aren’t always terrible. While The Lawnmower Man was a disaster, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a horror classic, even if it doesn’t stick to King’s plan. The Running Man is somewhere between these two extremes. It isn’t a faithful adaptation, but there’s a lot to like about the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Wright’s new version promises to be more rewarding for fans of the novel.

9 Edgar Wright’s Direction Will Be Bolder And More Stylistic

Wright brings his unique style to all of his projects

The original adaptation of The Running Man was directed by Paul Michael Glaser, whose other major directing credits include the ice hockey romcom The Cutting Edge and Kazaam, a box-office bomb starring Shaquille O’Neal as a genie. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the big name attraction in The Running Man, not Glaser. Edgar Wright, on the other hand, is the kind of director who has a cult following, so he will presumably be given more license to stamp his mark on the remake.

Edgar Wright has a reputation for stylized action, which often incorporates elements of humor at the same time. His love of fast cuts and dynamic camera movements give him a unique directorial style.

Edgar Wright has a reputation for stylized action, which often incorporates elements of humor at the same time. His love of fast cuts and dynamic camera movements give him a unique directorial style. This has served him well in his comedy movies, but even in his less funny movies, such as Last Night In Soho, Wright isn’t afraid to make brave choices. The Running Man will probably be much more experimental than the original version.

8 The Remake Will Feature A Different Villain

Killian doesn’t appear in the novel

The main villain in the adaptation of The Running Man is Damon Killian, but this character doesn’t appear in the book. It’s a safe bet to say that he won’t be in Edgar Wright’s version of the story. The book’s central antagonist is Evan McCone, but he’s just the head Hunter in the Running Man, and he isn’t in charge of the games. Instead, the Games Network doesn’t have a human face.

It makes sense why the 1987 movie adaptation created the character of Killian. This way, the evil of the corporation can be embodied in a way that gives the story more focus.

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It makes sense why the 1987 movie adaptation created the character of Killian. This way, the evil of the corporation can be embodied in a way that gives the story more focus. The novel sees Ben Richards taking down the Games Network without facing up to any particular character. This might be harder to film, so it will be interesting to see how Edgar Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall approach this challenge.

7 The Remake Will Need To Be Set In A Different Era

The novel takes place in 2025

Stephen King’s novel is set in the year 2025. If Edgar Wright’s adaptation is set to be released in 2025 or 2026, this is one detail that will have to change. The Running Man needs a new setting, and this will inevitably have knock-on effects on the entire atmosphere of the movie. The 1987 movie has a strange vision of the future, as much of the fashion and technology resembles the 1980s.

If the new movie chooses to set the story another 40 years in the future, Wright will probably have to focus more on the visual design to ensure that it represents a compelling futuristic society.

If the new movie chooses to set the story another 40 years in the future, Wright will probably have to focus more on the visual design to ensure that it represents a compelling futuristic society. Alternatively, Wright could choose to ignore the fact that Stephen King wrote the story with the intention of a distant future. His adaptation of The Running Man could simply take place in a different version of 2025.

6 The Remake Will Be Darker

The book is far bleaker than the 1987 adaptation

One of the big differences between Stephen King’s The Running Man and the 1987 adaptation is the tone. While King’s novel is bleak and dystopian, the movie has a little more fun with the same concept. It leans into the idea that The Running Man is a popular entertainment event, and it showcases the pageantry of each Hunter that enters the arena. They each have characters and styles like professional wrestlers.

The 1987 adaptation leans into the idea that The Running Man is a popular entertainment event, and it showcases the pageantry of each Hunter that enters the arena.

Edgar Wright’s version will probably be more grounded if the director wants to be more faithful to King’s novel. This means that the Hunters will be replaced by blander antagonists, even though they’re one of the most enjoyable elements of the first movie. The visual style of the remake will likely be darker and less vibrant too, to fit with the bleaker tone. If Wright removes the themes of romance and friendship that were injected into the first adaptation, then his version could be almost unrecognizable.

5 The Remake Could Be Much Funnier

Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall recently collaborated on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Although the new adaptation will probably be much darker, having Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall on board suggests that there could be a lot of comedy too. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a few of his trademark one-liners in The Running Man, usually after killing off another one of his opponents, but it still isn’t a comedy movie. Bacall previously worked with Wright on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. His other comedy credits include the 21 Jump Street movies.

Although the new adaptation will probably be much darker, having Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall on board suggests that there could be a lot of comedy too.

Edgar Wright first made a name for himself as a director with the short-lived British sitcom Spaced. Wright’s “Cornetto trilogy” further bolstered his credentials as one of the best comedy directors in the business. Last Night In Soho has been his least comedic movie so far, but he still manages to sneak in a few jokes. The Running Man could take a similar approach, and Glen Powell has already shown his impressive comedy chops in Anyone But You and Hit Man.

4 The Original Was A Vehicle For Its Star

Arnold Schwarzenegger made The Running Man his own

Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his pomp when The Running Man was released in 1987. He had already become a huge movie star thanks to hits such as The Terminator, Commando and Conan the Barbarian. The Running Man was another vehicle for the action star, so the character of Ben Richards had to conform to Arnie’s particular skillset. He’s much more of an action hero than he is in the book.

Any movie that casts Arnold Schwarzenegger knows what they’re getting, but Powell could play Ben Richards in a few different ways.

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Glen Powell is a rising star, but he isn’t as unique and iconic as Schwarzenegger was in the 1980s. More importantly, he’s also much more versatile. Any movie that casts Arnold Schwarzenegger knows what they’re getting, but Powell could play Ben Richards in a few different ways. This upcoming version of The Running Man is less likely to be overwhelmed by the presence of its star.

3 Glen Powell Should Be Closer To Stephen King’s Protagonist

Ben Richards is no action hero

One of Stephen King’s main complaints about The Running Man was the casting of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who doesn’t fit the profile of the book’s protagonist. Ben Richards is described as weedy and intelligent in the novel. He solves most of his problems using his brains, not his brawn. This makes Arnold Schwarzenegger one of the worst possible actors for the role, and his casting changed the entire movie.

One of Stephen King’s main complaints about The Running Man was the casting of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who doesn’t fit the profile of the book’s protagonist.

Edgar Wright’s version of The Running Man will repeat this problem to some extent. Glen Powell isn’t as muscular as Arnie – almost nobody is – but he still has an action star’s physique. Wright could conceal Powell’s build without requiring that his actor change his appearance. This was never really an option for Schwarzenegger. Crucially, Powell is slightly better equipped to play an everyman character.

2 The Remake Will Have Fewer Characters

Most of the characters in the original adaptation aren’t in the novel

Killian and the Hunters aren’t the only characters who were created for the movie. Ben Richards’ companions, Harold and William, and his love interest, Amber, do not appear in the book. Instead, Ben enters The Running Man alone to provide for his family. It’s likely that Edgar Wright will cut all of these characters which aren’t from Stephen King’s novel, focusing more on Ben.

Ben Richards’ companions, Harold and William, and his love interest, Amber, do not appear in the book.

While there is no further casting information about The Running Man, there’s no way of knowing whether Wright and Bacall will invent any new characters to accompany Ben. If they stick to Stephen King’s framework, Glen Powell will cut a lonely figure, but this will emphasize the dystopian themes in the novel. Ben is on a one-man crusade to overthrow the Games Network in the novel. In the movie, he merely stumbles into the resistance by chance.

1 The Remake Will Have A Different Ending

Edgar Wright still might have to change Stephen King’s original ending

The 1987 adaptation of The Running Man alters the ending of the novel. Because so much importance is placed on Killian, the movie ends with Ben killing him and symbolically destroying The Running Man for good. Edgar Wright probably won’t use this ending, but the ending of the book could be problematic too. In the novel, Ben pilots a plane into the Games Network skyscraper to destroy it. This image could bear an unfortunate resemblance to the September 11th attacks, which is not an association that Wright’s movie needs.

It may be best for Wright to come up with a new ending for The Running Man that keeps the spirit of the original without the same imagery.

It may be best for Wright to come up with a new ending for The Running Man that keeps the spirit of the original without the same imagery. The 1987 adaptation does this to some extent, as Killian’s explosive death is a moment of violent destruction to put an end to his barbaric games. To defeat the Games Network and end The Running Man, Ben has no choice but to get violent. There are many ways that this idea could be preserved in the upcoming adaptation.

The Running Man
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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.

Director Paul Michael Glaser Release Date November 13, 1987 Cast Maria Conchita Alonso , Yaphet Kotto , Jesse Ventura , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Richard Dawson Runtime 101 minutes Budget $27 million

Source: https://www.lsu.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment