Stephen King’s 11-Word Review of ‘The Running Man’

Key Highlights

• Film adaptation: The Running Man is directed by Edgar Wright, based on Stephen King’s novella.
• Fan reaction: Stephen King praised the film, calling it “fantastic” and likening it to Die Hard.
• Release date: The movie is set to hit cinemas on Nov. 7.
• Movie tone: The adaptation appears to be lighter than the original gritty novella.

The Running Man, writer/director Edgar Wright’s new thriller based on Stephen King’s novella of the same name, got a new trailer on Monday – and the horror master himself was quick to share it.

The good news, for King fans excited to see what Wright’s interpretation? King himself appears to be a big fan.

“I’ve seen it and it’s fantastic,” he wrote on X and Threads. “DIE HARD for our time. A bipartisan thrill ride.”

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From the looks of the trailers, the movie definitely seems to have a Die Hard quality to it. King’s original novella, which follows a poverty-stricken man competing in a life-or-death gameshow in order to try and win money for his sick child, has a gritty dystopian feel to it, whereas Wright’s movie appears to be somewhat lighter.

The trailer is still packed with violence, but Glen Powell’s Ben Richards has more of the kind of swagger associated with the likes of Bruce Willis’ John McClane. Given the movie has been adapted before — Paul Michael Glaser made a version in 1987 that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger — it’s possible that Wright was keen to put his own stamp clearly on it.

So far, at least based on King’s reaction, it seems like that may have been a good move.

The Running Man hits cinemas Nov. 7.