Stephen King, Edgar Wright explain why 'Running Man' is the new 'Die Hard' – Exclusive Brian Truitt, USA TODAYNovember 13, 2025 at 12:15 AM 0 Edgar Wright creates a wild dystopian landscape with his action thriller "The Running Man." It's also a world brimming with all things Stephen King. Wright's adaptation of King's 1982 novel (written as Richard Bachman) includes a diner named after the legendary author's wife Tabitha in "Running Man" (in theaters Nov. 14), which follows a desperate man on the world's deadliest game show. King got a kick out of that one.
- - Stephen King, Edgar Wright explain why 'Running Man' is the new 'Die Hard' – Exclusive
Brian Truitt, USA TODAYNovember 13, 2025 at 12:15 AM
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Edgar Wright creates a wild dystopian landscape with his action thriller "The Running Man." It's also a world brimming with all things Stephen King.
Wright's adaptation of King's 1982 novel (written as Richard Bachman) includes a diner named after the legendary author's wife Tabitha in "Running Man" (in theaters Nov. 14), which follows a desperate man on the world's deadliest game show. King got a kick out of that one.
But British director's favorite nods are in the locker room full of game-show contestants. There are familiar surnames above lockers inspired by actors in King movies – Travolta, Walken, Duvall – plus a lime-green jumpsuit with "King" on the back, a reference to the author's memorably mossy role in the 1982 horror movie "Creepshow."
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Glen Powell stars as a man who has to stay alive on a killer game show in Edgar Wright's action thriller "The Running Man," based on the Stephen King novel.
Recently, Wright gifted the jumpsuit to King. "I got it!" King exclaims and even tried it on. "It's a little big, but I wear it with pride, man."
The two creators are frequent email pen pals, and Wright has sent many old-school vinyl rock 'n' roll records to King over the years. In a USA TODAY exclusive interview, the pair get together on Zoom – Wright from London, King from Florida – to chat about the new "Running Man," the book and the 1987 sci-fi action flick that was wildly different from King's vision.
The first movie starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, a military helicopter pilot framed for a deadly massacre and forced to be on "The Running Man," where he battles a crew of larger-than-life killers. Wright's film stars Glen Powell as Richards, who – as in the book – is an unemployed, working-class man who goes on the game show to provide for his sick daughter. Stay alive for 30 days and he wins $1 billion, but he's also being hunted by a group of murderous mercenaries.
Wright, 51, first read "The Running Man" "when I was like 12 or 13, possibly too young," he says with a laugh. "Probably exactly the right age." ("Everybody says that," King quips.)
Wright was 14 when Schwarzenegger's R-rated movie came out in U.K. theaters, so he watched it on VHS. "A lot of the story just hadn't been adapted at all," Wright says. "It really stayed in my mind there was a whole other movie to make."
How does the new 'Running Man' differ from Arnold Schwarzenegger's cult movie?
When King, 78, watched the original "Running Man" film, "what I remember best was they had the sound cranked up. It's like 'Spinal Tap': This one goes to 11," the author says, adding that his wife watched it with her fingers in her ears. For Wright, the most successful thing about that movie was Richard Dawson as the evil TV producer/game-show host – casting the "Family Feud" icon was such a "masterstroke" that Wright didn't even attempt it. (For his version, Josh Brolin is the villainous producer, while Colman Domingo is the bombastic show host.)
Wright included in the new "Running Man" one nifty Schwarzenegger Easter egg: His face is on currency. They had to get photo approval from the former California governor, and Wright and Powell presented him with a massive $100 bill with his mug on it. "He looked like a lottery winner," Wright says.
Watching the new "Running Man" reminded Schwarzenegger how hard it is to make action movies: He told Wright that he enjoys watching his films back, "but I never used to like shooting them. I much prefer shooting 'Kindergarten Cop' and 'Twins.' "
Original "Running Man" star Arnold Schwarzenegger's face is on currency in the new "Running Man."
King thought Schwarzenegger was "fun" in that original movie, but Powell is closer to his Ben Richards.
"Arnold didn't look like somebody who had been missing many meals. He was ripped," King says. Also, "he doesn't seem like an Everyman. He seems like Arnold. And Glen seems like a regular guy: You would believe him in this part. He's handsome but he's not a Clark Gable, big movie star kind of guy. He's a regular guy who's just better looking than most of us."
Latest 'The Running Man' offers shades of a Bruce Willis classic
King likens Wright's "Running Man" to "Die Hard" in that "you've got one guy against a lot of other people. But the nice thing about this movie and 'Die Hard' is that they are action pictures that have some thought involved with them, and also there's that little twinkle of humor in there, too." Wright, for one, sees a lot of Bruce Willis' John McClane in Powell's performance.
"Even though he's a cop, he's not on home turf, he hasn't got his shoes on, he's completely outnumbered, and he's kind of wildly improvising and winging it. So there's a vulnerability to the character," Wright says of McClane. Played by Powell, Richards is "somebody who made a choice out of desperation. ... He's not like a super-spy, he's not a trained killer. He's an out-of-work dad."
Bestselling author Stephen King, shown in a 1970 file photo.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/jrK0aYI class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Bestselling author Stephen King, shown in a 1970 file photo.
">Bestselling author Stephen King, shown in a 1970 file photo.
" src=https://ift.tt/jrK0aYI class=caas-img>Stephen King answers questions at the Davis-Kidd Booksellers bookstore in Green Hills in 1994, during his "Insomnia" book tour.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/cIJNHDp class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King answers questions at the Davis-Kidd Booksellers bookstore in Green Hills in 1994, during his "Insomnia" book tour.
">Stephen King answers questions at the Davis-Kidd Booksellers bookstore in Green Hills in 1994, during his "Insomnia" book tour.
" src=https://ift.tt/cIJNHDp class=caas-img>Stephen King hops onto his Harley-Davidson to leave Nashville, one of 10 stops on his 4,300-mile tour to promote his book, "Insomnia" and independent bookstores.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/6RulDEK class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King hops onto his Harley-Davidson to leave Nashville, one of 10 stops on his 4,300-mile tour to promote his book, "Insomnia" and independent bookstores.
">Stephen King hops onto his Harley-Davidson to leave Nashville, one of 10 stops on his 4,300-mile tour to promote his book, "Insomnia" and independent bookstores.
" src=https://ift.tt/6RulDEK class=caas-img>Stephen King, author, photographed at the Little League baseball stadium he built in 1998.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/Muvd8yW class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King, author, photographed at the Little League baseball stadium he built in 1998.
">Stephen King, author, photographed at the Little League baseball stadium he built in 1998.
" src=https://ift.tt/Muvd8yW class=caas-img>Stephen King is greeted by actor Michael Clarke Duncan at the premiere of the film "The Green Mile" in 1999.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/j0om927 class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King is greeted by actor Michael Clarke Duncan at the premiere of the film "The Green Mile" in 1999.
">Stephen King is greeted by actor Michael Clarke Duncan at the premiere of the film "The Green Mile" in 1999.
" src=https://ift.tt/j0om927 class=caas-img>Stephen King poses in New York City before performing with rock charity supergroup The Rock Bottom Remainders in 2001.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/SR15yzu class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King poses in New York City before performing with rock charity supergroup The Rock Bottom Remainders in 2001.
">Stephen King poses in New York City before performing with rock charity supergroup The Rock Bottom Remainders in 2001.
" src=https://ift.tt/SR15yzu class=caas-img>Stephen King arrives for the Los Angeles premiere of the film "The Manchurian Candidate" in 2004.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/2wki1UV class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King arrives for the Los Angeles premiere of the film "The Manchurian Candidate" in 2004.
">Stephen King arrives for the Los Angeles premiere of the film "The Manchurian Candidate" in 2004.
" src=https://ift.tt/2wki1UV class=caas-img>"Misery" by Stephen King
" data-src=https://ift.tt/k73FKbs class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
"Misery" by Stephen King
">"Misery" by Stephen King
" src=https://ift.tt/k73FKbs class=caas-img>Stephen King and Amy Tan appear together at the 2002 New Yorker Festival.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/3eDpfUH class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King and Amy Tan appear together at the 2002 New Yorker Festival.
">Stephen King and Amy Tan appear together at the 2002 New Yorker Festival.
" src=https://ift.tt/3eDpfUH class=caas-img>Stephen King attends a benefit reading for Frank Muller at Town Hall in 2002 in New York City. Actor and audiobook narrator Frank Muller sustained debilitating injuries in a motorcycle accident in November 2001. The event raised funds to assist in meeting the immediate needs of Muller and his family.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/nXC9BoT class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King attends a benefit reading for Frank Muller at Town Hall in 2002 in New York City. Actor and audiobook narrator Frank Muller sustained debilitating injuries in a motorcycle accident in November 2001. The event raised funds to assist in meeting the immediate needs of Muller and his family.
">Stephen King attends a benefit reading for Frank Muller at Town Hall in 2002 in New York City. Actor and audiobook narrator Frank Muller sustained debilitating injuries in a motorcycle accident in November 2001. The event raised funds to assist in meeting the immediate needs of Muller and his family.
" src=https://ift.tt/nXC9BoT class=caas-img>Stephen King and actor Donnie Wahlberg greet each other at the premiere of Dreamcatcher and the afterparty in 2003.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/4D5KACG class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King and actor Donnie Wahlberg greet each other at the premiere of Dreamcatcher and the afterparty in 2003.
">Stephen King and actor Donnie Wahlberg greet each other at the premiere of Dreamcatcher and the afterparty in 2003.
" src=https://ift.tt/4D5KACG class=caas-img>J.K. Rowling and Stephen King attend a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with Rowling, King and John Irving in 2006.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/pGZ7KwM class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
J.K. Rowling and Stephen King attend a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with Rowling, King and John Irving in 2006.
">J.K. Rowling and Stephen King attend a news conference for "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp," a reading with Rowling, King and John Irving in 2006.
" src=https://ift.tt/pGZ7KwM class=caas-img>Stephen King (R) speaks at the Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher during the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/A1DdqmR class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King (R) speaks at the Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher during the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
">Stephen King (R) speaks at the Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher during the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
" src=https://ift.tt/A1DdqmR class=caas-img>Stephen King attends a signing session for his new novel "Lisey's Story" at Borders bookstore in 2006 in London, England.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/d5IsFTR class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King attends a signing session for his new novel "Lisey's Story" at Borders bookstore in 2006 in London, England.
">Stephen King attends a signing session for his new novel "Lisey's Story" at Borders bookstore in 2006 in London, England.
" src=https://ift.tt/d5IsFTR class=caas-img>"Duma Key" by Stephen King.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/Sus0qo1 class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
"Duma Key" by Stephen King.
">"Duma Key" by Stephen King.
" src=https://ift.tt/Sus0qo1 class=caas-img>Stephen King performs with rock charity supergroup the Rock Bottom Remainders in 2007
" data-src=https://ift.tt/vDWaXRl class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King performs with rock charity supergroup the Rock Bottom Remainders in 2007
">Stephen King performs with rock charity supergroup the Rock Bottom Remainders in 2007
" src=https://ift.tt/vDWaXRl class=caas-img>Stephen King poses for a portrait in 2008 for his new novel, "Duma Key," which borrows from his own life as it follows a man surviving a life-threatening accident. In 1999, King survived a hit by a drunk driver.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/sz1t0mc class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King poses for a portrait in 2008 for his new novel, "Duma Key," which borrows from his own life as it follows a man surviving a life-threatening accident. In 1999, King survived a hit by a drunk driver.
">Stephen King poses for a portrait in 2008 for his new novel, "Duma Key," which borrows from his own life as it follows a man surviving a life-threatening accident. In 1999, King survived a hit by a drunk driver.
" src=https://ift.tt/sz1t0mc class=caas-img>Stephen King promotes "Under The Dome" at the North Point Boulevard Walmart in Dundalk, Maryland in 2009.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/tvSu8r6 class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King promotes "Under The Dome" at the North Point Boulevard Walmart in Dundalk, Maryland in 2009.
">Stephen King promotes "Under The Dome" at the North Point Boulevard Walmart in Dundalk, Maryland in 2009.
" src=https://ift.tt/tvSu8r6 class=caas-img>Stephen King holds up a pink Amazon Kindle 2 at a news conference in New York where the device was introduced in 2009.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/rmzZF7l class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King holds up a pink Amazon Kindle 2 at a news conference in New York where the device was introduced in 2009.
">Stephen King holds up a pink Amazon Kindle 2 at a news conference in New York where the device was introduced in 2009.
" src=https://ift.tt/rmzZF7l class=caas-img>Stephen King in 2011 at the 6th Floor Museum near the location where Lee Harvey Oswald fired fatal shots at John F. Kennedy. King's novel "11/22/63" is about a man who goes back in time hoping to stop the assassination.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/4B9voLN class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King in 2011 at the 6th Floor Museum near the location where Lee Harvey Oswald fired fatal shots at John F. Kennedy. King's novel "11/22/63" is about a man who goes back in time hoping to stop the assassination.
">Stephen King in 2011 at the 6th Floor Museum near the location where Lee Harvey Oswald fired fatal shots at John F. Kennedy. King's novel "11/22/63" is about a man who goes back in time hoping to stop the assassination.
" src=https://ift.tt/4B9voLN class=caas-img>Stephen King in 2013 in Paris before a book signing event dedicated to the release of his "Doctor Sleep", the sequel to his 1977 novel "The Shining."
" data-src=https://ift.tt/vjf9ps4 class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King in 2013 in Paris before a book signing event dedicated to the release of his "Doctor Sleep", the sequel to his 1977 novel "The Shining."
">Stephen King in 2013 in Paris before a book signing event dedicated to the release of his "Doctor Sleep", the sequel to his 1977 novel "The Shining."
" src=https://ift.tt/vjf9ps4 class=caas-img>Stephen King's new book "Doctor Sleep," the sequel to his 1977 novel "The Shining," displayed in Paris.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/jKpIaxu class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King's new book "Doctor Sleep," the sequel to his 1977 novel "The Shining," displayed in Paris.
">Stephen King's new book "Doctor Sleep," the sequel to his 1977 novel "The Shining," displayed in Paris.
" src=https://ift.tt/jKpIaxu class=caas-img>Stephen King arrives for a press conference for his new book "Doctor Sleep" in 2013.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/bI9xc4j class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King arrives for a press conference for his new book "Doctor Sleep" in 2013.
">Stephen King arrives for a press conference for his new book "Doctor Sleep" in 2013.
" src=https://ift.tt/bI9xc4j class=caas-img>Stephen King (center) takes in the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins game at Fenway Park in Boston in 2014.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/HLftONz class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King (center) takes in the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins game at Fenway Park in Boston in 2014.
">Stephen King (center) takes in the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins game at Fenway Park in Boston in 2014.
" src=https://ift.tt/HLftONz class=caas-img>Stephen King takes a photo with a fan before the start of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston in 2018.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/I7C3Dzh class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King takes a photo with a fan before the start of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston in 2018.
">Stephen King takes a photo with a fan before the start of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston in 2018.
" src=https://ift.tt/I7C3Dzh class=caas-img>Former President Barack Obama presents Stephen King with the National Medal of Arts during a ceremony at the White House in 2015.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/MdHqEXz class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Former President Barack Obama presents Stephen King with the National Medal of Arts during a ceremony at the White House in 2015.
">Former President Barack Obama presents Stephen King with the National Medal of Arts during a ceremony at the White House in 2015.
" src=https://ift.tt/MdHqEXz class=caas-img>Stephen King attends a special screening of "IT" in Bangor, Maine in 2017.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/Oy4Sta8 class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King attends a special screening of "IT" in Bangor, Maine in 2017.
">Stephen King attends a special screening of "IT" in Bangor, Maine in 2017.
" src=https://ift.tt/Oy4Sta8 class=caas-img>Stephen King attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/f0u1hXQ class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
">Stephen King attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
" src=https://ift.tt/f0u1hXQ class=caas-img>Stephen King signs autographs after stepping out of US District Court in Washington, D.C. in 2022. King testified for the US government in an antitrust case involving publishers' merging.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/E8taOvq class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King signs autographs after stepping out of US District Court in Washington, D.C. in 2022. King testified for the US government in an antitrust case involving publishers' merging.
">Stephen King signs autographs after stepping out of US District Court in Washington, D.C. in 2022. King testified for the US government in an antitrust case involving publishers' merging.
" src=https://ift.tt/E8taOvq class=caas-img>Stephen King and actress Kate Siegel attend the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/8R4UCXh class=caas-img data-headline="Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books" data-caption="
Stephen King and actress Kate Siegel attend the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
">Stephen King and actress Kate Siegel attend the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
" src=https://ift.tt/8R4UCXh class=caas-img>
1 / 30Stephen King's career in photos: Look back at the 'King of Horror' and his books
Bestselling author Stephen King, shown in a 1970 file photo.
Wright sent his and Michael Bacall's screenplay to King before production started, but the author didn't give him any notes. "I just wanted to know all the secrets about making 'Baby Driver,' " King says, referring to his favorite Wright movie. That he loved it was both blessing and curse, Wright recalls thinking: "Not only do I have to live up to the film in my head, I have to live up to the film in Stephen's head as well!"
One addition that the author appreciated was a moment between the movie's hero and Amelia (Emilia Jones), a young, well-to-do woman whom Ben carjacks while on the run.
"He says something to her that is really striking: 'You are wearing a scarf around your neck that would feed a thousand people,' " King recalls. "That is like the serious side of ('The Running Man') that flies under the radar. It has a little bit of a texture to it that you don't find in a lot of Jason Statham pictures. Or Arnold Schwarzenegger pictures."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephen King compares 'Running Man' Glen Powell to Schwarzenegger
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: November 12, 2025 at 05:46PM on Source: MORNING MAG
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