Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man will include one element from the novel that was axed in the 80’s adaptation. Adapted from the Stephen King novel, The Running Man will be directed by Wright (Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and will follow Ben Richards as he participates in the тιтular game show, which involves contestants evading hitmen for money. The adaptation from 1987, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, while entertaining, didn’t do much traveling, staying mostly in its gameshow setting, while the novel saw Ben going to states like New York, Mᴀssachusets, and New Hampshire.

In an interview with Empire, Wright has revealed that he’s keeping the novel’s element of traveling throughout America in his adaptation. Wright said that one of his favorite dynamics of the book was Ben being out in the world on his own, something he’ll attempt to emulate. He teased that the film will be “the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest game of hide and seek” and “a very intense, dangerous road movie.” Read his full statement below:

“One of the things about the book that I loved was the fact that Ben Richards is out in the world on his own, so it’s like the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest game of hide and seek. It does feel like making a road movie in a lot of ways: a very intense, dangerous road movie. Ben is moving through different environments and meeting different people as he tries to survive 30 days out in the wild.”

What Does This Mean For Edgar Wright’s Adaptation Of The Running Man?

His Version So Far Sounds Like It’ll Be More Faithful Than The 1987 Adaptation

While the gameshow setting from the 80’s adaptation of The Running Man could work in today’s taste for stories based on reality games (Squid Game, for example), Wright’s comments tease a more faithful adaptation of King’s novel. Keeping this dynamic of travel makes his version of the story sound very much like an on-the-road, cat-and-mouse tale. With Wright being known for the kinetic energy in his films, keeping this element sounds like a fitting choice.

This begs the question of just how much of King’s novel will Wright keep in his adaptation, as there are several things there that might be hard to swallow, including its incredibly dark, fiery ending. Wright has proved himself to be a bold storyteller, stylistically and thematically, so he’d be a prime choice in delivering a truly faithful adaptation of The Running Man. With these latest comments, that possibility and promise seems much more tangible.

Our Take On Edgar Wright’s Tease Of The Running Man

Should Wright Go Big?

With the bleak and bold source material, The Running Man could be one of Wright’s most ambitious movies, with the opportunity to address seeming flaws in today’s political climate and face one of the biggest terrorist attacks on America. While the former seems easier to execute, the political backlash can be brutal. The latter, on the other hand, should prove difficult in many ways, as images of planes flying into buildings still rightfully trigger a national, traumatic response. Should Wright aim to take both opportunities, he’ll have to do so with a delicate yet firm hand. It sounds like a task verging on gargantuan difficulty, but I do believe that, if Wright sticks to the foundation laid by King’s novel, his adaptation of The Running Man could find considerable success.

Source: Empire