Stephen King Raves: Edgar Wright's The Running Man Delivers Die Hard-Level Thrills

Stephen King has seen Edgar Wright's The Running Man and, in classic King fashion, he hopped on Twitter to say exactly what he thinks. Short version: he is all in. And his comparison has me thinking this version might lean harder into action than I expected.

"New trailer: RUNNING MAN.
BTW: I've seen it and it's fantastic.
DIE HARD for our time.
A bipartisan thrill ride."

- Stephen King, on Twitter, October 13, 2025

For those keeping score: King is not shy about calling it like he sees it, even when it comes to adaptations of his own work. So this level of praise is notable. Also, calling it "Die Hard for our time" is a very specific vibe, which screams more boots-on-the-ground mayhem than the earlier marketing suggested.

So what is Wright doing with The Running Man?

Wright, the Shaun of the Dead director with a finely tuned action-comedy engine, is taking on King's 1982 novel (published under his Richard Bachman pen name). This time, Glen Powell plays Ben Richards, a broke dad who gets pressured by a TV producer into joining a deadly reality show to pay for his sick daughter's care. The rules are simple and awful: survive 30 days while assassins try to kill you. The whole thing airs worldwide, and as ratings spike, the show cranks up the brutality to keep eyeballs glued.

If you're getting deja vu, you're not wrong. The book was first adapted in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger. That movie isn't exactly top-shelf King, but it's held up decently with a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. Wright seems to be steering closer to the book's grim social satire, with a modern action bent. King calling it a "bipartisan thrill ride" is a curious choice of words, but it hints the movie is taking swings at the spectacle machine without getting bogged down in the culture war stuff.

King is on a heater this year

The Long Walk landed with critics and audiences — I gave it a full five stars in my review — and fans are already buzzing about the upcoming spin-off series IT: Welcome to Derry. It feels like we're in a moment where the King adaptations pipeline is actually delivering.

A quick refresher on the source

The Running Man novel is set in a 2025 America that's economically wrecked and increasingly violent, where desperate people sign up for lethal game shows to win money. It was a nightmare back then; it reads oddly current now that the movie is arriving in, well, 2025. That timing is either perfect or uncomfortable, depending on your mood.

• Director: Edgar Wright
• Based on: Stephen King's 1982 novel (as Richard Bachman)
• Lead: Glen Powell as Ben Richards
• Also stars: Lee Pace, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin
• Premise: A broke father enters a deadly reality competition, hunted by assassins for 30 days while the world watches; higher ratings mean nastier tactics
• King's take: "Fantastic," "Die Hard for our time," and "A bipartisan thrill ride"
• Previous adaptation: 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (67% on Rotten Tomatoes)
• Release: In theaters November 7

We'll see soon if Wright delivers the lean, mean crowd-pleaser King is selling — but if you want a hype man for your dystopian action thriller, the guy who wrote it is not a bad one to have.