The Running Man is a book written and published in 1982 by writer Stephen King, using his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. It has been adapted twice, with the first adaptation releasing in 1987 and the second releasing in 2025. The first adaptation was distributed by Tri-Star Pictures, while the 2025 adaptation was distributed by Paramount Pictures.

General Premise

The general story of The Running Man focuses on a violent game show where contestants, called “runners”, are hunted by a group of hunters. The world is set in a totalitarian dystopia, where some form of government or media conglomerate holds power over the people and economic struggle is rife. As a result of this struggle, The Running Man show is immensely popular. A man named Ben Richards is forced through circumstance to sign up for The Running Man to protect those he loves. The story deals with themes of media influence and control, partially through methods of deepfake technology.

The Running Man (1987)

The original film adaptation of The Running Man, directed by Paul Michael Glaser, starred actors Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, Richard Dawson as Damon Killian, and Maria Conchita Alonso as Amber Mendez. It is a looser adaptation of the novel’s story, presenting Ben Richards as a former soldier who went against orders, sending him to prison. After escaping with a few of his fellow prisoners, his escape is thwarted and he is offered a chance of going on The Running Man to shorten or potentially even end his sentence entirely. Richards takes the deal after being shown his fellow prisoners had also been re-apprehended, only to be deceived as his fellow prisoners are thrown into The Running Man with him.

Damon Killian is the producer and host of The Running Man, serving as the main antagonist of the film. Amber Mendez is initially a hostage of Richards as he attempts to find freedom, later becoming a love interest and fellow contestant on The Running Man. Actors Yaphet Kotto, Marvin J. McIntyre, and Mick Fleetwood play characters William Laughlin, Harold Weiss, and Mic respectively. Laughlin and Weiss serve as Richards’ fellow prisoners and contestants on The Running Man, who serve as the initial blackmailing to get Richards to join the game, while Mic serves as the leader of a Resistance attempting to take down the authoritarian government. Weiss and Laughlin are also members of this Resistance.

Working alongside Killian as the hunters of The Running Man show, dubbed the “stalkers”, are Subzero, a hockey-themed killer who wields a sharpened hockey stick, Buzzsaw, who aptly wields a saw sharp enough to cut steel, Dynamo, a man who can shoot electricity, Fireball, who wields a flamethrower, and finally Captain Freedom, the leader of the stalkers. Subzero is played by Professor Toru Tanaka, Buzzsaw is played by Gus Rethwisch, Dynamo is played by Erland Van Lidth, Fireball is played by Jim Brown, and Captain Freedom is played by Jesse Ventura.

The film is an action-packed, somewhat cheesy at times, dystopian film that touches on government control, fake media, and corruption. Released around Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rise in fame, just a few years after The Terminator, the film makes sure to wear his star power on its sleeve. At one point, Richards says Schwarzenegger’s iconic catchphrase to Killian pointblank, “I’ll be back.”

The Running Man (2025)

The 2025 adaptation of The Running Man, produced, written, and directed by Edgar Wright, aimed to be a more accurate adaptation of the novel’s story compared to its 1987 predecessor. The film stars actors Glen Powell as Ben Richards, Josh Brolin as Dan Killian, Colman Domingo as “Bobby T” Thompson, and Emilia Jones as Amelia Williams. Ben Richards and his wife are struggling to support themselves after their daughter gets sick and Richards gets fired, so he signs up for The Running Man for a potential cash prize of one billion dollars. He must survive for 30 days to receive the ultimate prize; with every day he survives requiring him to submit a 10-minute video of his current location in exchange for money.

Dan Killian is the producer of The Running Man, serving as the main antagonist of the film, while Bobby T is the host of The Running Man. Amelia Williams is initially a hostage of Richards, believing the fake narrative the show has formed of Richards being a criminal. After spending time with him, she comes around to seeing him as a good person. Forming the Rebellion in this version of the film is actor Michael Cera as Elton Parrakis, a man whose father was killed by corrupt cops, actor William H. Macy as Molie Jernigan, who helps Ben with various disguises, and actor Daniel Ezra as Bradler Throckmorton, a livestreamer. Actors Katy O’Brian and Martin Herlilhy play Jenni Laughlin and Tim Jansky respectively, Richards’ fellow contestants on The Running Man.

Serving as the hunters of The Running Man are actors Lee Pace as Evan McCone, the lead hunter, and Karl Glusman as Frank, one of his fellow hunters.

The film serves as a more heartfelt adaptation, as Richards plays the game for his family, specifically his sick daughter, rather than just to escape a prison sentence. 

Comparison

The clearest difference from the get-go of the films is Ben Richards’ backstory. While both versions present him as a very angry man and keep a core theme of protecting others via his entry to The Running Man, the 2025 adaptation arguably provides him with a more tragic backstory via his family. It is mentioned that he worked at a security firm, but he seemingly did not have military experience like Arnold’s version.

The rules of the game are quite different between each film. The original does not establish a 30-day limit like the Edgar Wright version, instead only lasting at most one day. The original also establishes a clear arena where the game is set, whereas the Wright film establishes the runners can span the whole country in their efforts to outwit and outlast the hunters. The video aspect of the 2025 film, where Richards must send a video tape of himself every day to prove he’s still alive, was not in the original adaptation, however it was present in Stephen King’s book, requiring two video entries per day rather than just one. Ultimately, while Edgar Wright’s 2025 adaptation presents a more book-accurate, heartfelt story, the original 1987 film with Arnold still provides an action-packed film that shares the same core themes as the novel.