Richard Bachman has had a very good year for adaptations. Previous to this year, it had been nearly thirty years since one of his novels was turned into a movie and now, within a span of several months, two Bachman books have turned up on the big screen with stellar casts. And even his wife (widow?) is getting in on the action. Read on!
I have to confess that I’ve never seen the original adaptation (to put it loosely) of The Running Man all the way through, and it wasn’t until last month that I saw any part of it at all. When I heard it was leaving Netflix at the end of October, I decided to give it a shot. I ruffled a few Arnie fans on social medial when I commented that I found it dreadful and unwatchable. I tapped out after thirty minutes, which isn’t something I often do. Maybe I’ll try it again someday but probably not.
I did, however, have no trouble sitting through the entire 2025 adaptation, which I thought was decent. It’s much truer to the Bachman novel except for the ending. It’s been a while since I read the book and I was able to be surprised by certain turns of event that are directly from or closely related to what’s in the novel.
The movie rests on the (frequently exposed) shoulders of Glen Powell as Ben Richards. He’s more relatable than Schwarzenegger, and he’s credibly able to pull off some heroic action scenes, including one where he’s naked (is it fun to be at the Y…V…A?), but his acting is rather unsubtle. He is the angriest man on earth, but his anger is so much on the surface that it overshadows his usual charisma. Plus he seems to be sweating through the entire movie, even when he’s not being chased!
Colman Domingo pretty much stole the show as the gameshow host. His manic energy was pitch perfect. Josh Brolin made a good bad guy, someone who you might see selling reverse mortgages on TV ads. There are a few light moments (the hamster wheel contest was darkly humorous, and I laughed out loud at the van marked “Mulisha Boyz”), but for the most part the focus is on action—it’s all about running, after all. Those scenes were, of course, very well done. They’re Edgar Wright’s jam. I particularly liked the one where Ben is in the trunk of a car while they’re being chased and someone is shooting at them. It’s staged from Ben’s point of view, so it’s jarring when a bullet comes through the side of the car.
There were some very good supporting performances. William H. Macy was underutilized, in my opinion, but he’s always excellent and there’s a certain pathos to his scene when he reveals something Ben didn’t anticipate. Emilia Jones, fresh off her appearance in Task, brought humor and gravitas to her character, coincidentally named “Amelia.” Her one-minute rant was particularly good.
I though Michael Cera seemed a little flat at first, but then I realized his character was certifiable (although much saner than his mother!). His “five minutes of fun with goons” in a booby-trapped house was pure entertainment. David Zayas (Angel Batista from Dexter) didn’t really convince me as a hardass boss, but that’s probably because I’m so used to seeing him in sympathetic roles.
The movie updated certain things to the real 2025 (King’s novel was set this year). While there were doctored photographs in the book, the movie uses deep fakes and self-driving cars and DNA sniffers. Social aspects of the book are still relevant today, such as the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, the hunters masking their faces, people dying because they can’t afford health care, and the game being fixed to maximize ratings.
I found the ending overlong and preachy. Social commentary in films works best for me when you derive it from the story rather than having characters deliver it in dialog. I understand why they felt the need to soften the blow of King’s ending (and give us a feel-good moment in the denouement), but it was just a bit too chaotic and hyper-everything for my taste.
Easter Eggs, we got ’em. Some movies really go hard with the Easter Eggs. The Running Man is a bit more subtle, but there are still quite a few.
- The “new dollar” bills have a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger on them. Arnie, of course, played Ben Richards in the previous adaptation of The Running Man.
- There were some prominent “missing pet” posters on the walls early in the film.
- The story takes Ben to Derry, Maine. Technically this isn’t an Easter Egg, as Derry is mentioned several times in the novel. The Jade of the Orient Chinese restaurant also shows up.
- There’s a mug shot for a previous contestant named Charlie Decker (Rage).
- The network building is located in Co-Op City, a familiar location from the Dark Tower series.
- When Ben takes a taxi ride before the contest officially starts, he passes Bachman’s Restaurant.
- When Ben is trying to send in one of his tapes while disguised as a blind priest, an eating establishment called Tabby’s Diner is visible in the background.
- When Ben gets his Running Man jumpsuit, names on nearby lockers refer to actors who have appeared in other adaptations, including Nicholson, Walken, Spacek, Stanton, Holbrook, Freeman, Bates, Sheen, Duvall. Also King and Stark.
- The character played by Zayas is named Richard Manuel. That’s the real name of the person whose picture was used to represent Richard Bachman on the hardcover of Thinner.
- Maybe a bit of a stretch, but the Achilles tendon slice is reminiscent of Gage from the original adaptation of Pet Sematary.
We’re halfway through the first season of Welcome to Derry. I’ve only seen the first one so far but, boy, was that a lot to take in! The opening scene is bonkers, and who could have seen the ending of the episode? I think I’ll wait until all eight episodes are available to binge through the series. I’ll give you my thoughts then.
After a run of adaptations in 2025, the only one that’s definitely coming up is Mike Flanagan’s new version of Carrie. A few works have been optioned (“Rat” from If it Bleeds, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and “Mr. Yummy” from Bazaar of Bad Dreams. The Institute was renewed, but there’s been no word on when that might be released.
The first of twelve monthly installments of The End Times newspaper was released in digital form today, with physical copies to arrive shortly. The document is notable in that it has contributions from Claudia Inez Bachman (written by King). Check out this interview with author Benjamin Percy and get a sneak peek at the front page of Issue 1, as well as the inside scoop on Claudia Bachman’s role in the story. (“She introduces herself as coming from New England,” Percy explained. “She talks about her husband…I’ll also say that she speaks, in her introductory letter, about how her marriage was not a happy one.”)
Several recent appearances in various forms of media. In the NPR interview, he reveals that he would like to write one more Holly Gibney novel that has connections to The Outsider after he wraps up final revisions on the third Jack Sawyer novel.
- Velshi Banned Book Club: a Conversation with the Great Stephen King
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Bangor Daily News interview: Stephen King reimagines ‘Hansel and Gretel’ with Maurice Sendak’s unpublished drawings
- USA Today interview: Stephen King unsure of writing future, says he’s ‘off the warranty’
- Bestsellers to Blockbusters: Stephen King Reflects on the Adaptations of His Work
- NPR interview: Stephen King on ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and the future of his writing career
- In conversation with Edgar Wright
- Stephen King on the dark brilliance of Daphne du Maurier
- Stephen King on dementia — ‘I’m afraid of that happening to me’
Signed copies of Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences are available from Village Books in The Woodlands. Be sure to specify if you’d like a dedication and/or inscription on the order form. A new edition, Stephen King: His Life, Work, and Influences (Young Readers’ Edition), came out last September, which you can also order from Village Books, along with any of my other books.
