Hollywood Flashback: Schwarzenegger’s ‘Running Man’ Faced Many Challenges
The first film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, soon to be revisited by Edgar Wright and Glen Powell in a new version releasing November 14, encountered numerous obstacles during production. The original movie The Running Man had a tumultuous journey compared to its upcoming counterpart.
Based on King’s 1982 novel, director Paul Michael Glaser’s dystopian film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as a police officer framed for murder who must fight for his freedom on a deadly game show where condemned criminals are hunted by professional killers.
Producer George Linder discovered the novel—published under Stephen King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman—while at an airport and initially saw it as a perfect project for Christopher Reeve. However, Schwarzenegger eventually took the lead role.
Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, known for writing Commando, 48 Hrs., Die Hard, and Street Fighter, recalled how the project went through multiple directors:
“As the different directors would come in, I would have to do a revision for their vision,”
One of the directors, Andrew Davis, who later directed the Oscar-winning The Fugitive, was fired just two weeks into filming for falling behind schedule. The producers then appointed Paul Michael Glaser, famed for his role as Starsky in TV’s Starsky & Hutch, who was making his feature directorial debut with the 1986 thriller Band of the Hand.
Summary
The original Running Man film, starring Schwarzenegger, experienced significant director changes and production delays before reaching the screen, highlighting the challenges of adapting Stephen King’s novel.
More News
- Cheap Domestic Flights in United States of America
- Heavy rain gridlocks KL traffic
- Sydney Sixers Vs Adelaide Strikers, WBBL 2025: SYS-W Beat AS-W By One Run Thanks To Ellyse Perry Century
- Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan in focus: PCB clears Big Bash NOCs for Pakistan players, but with a catch
- Women’s Big Bash League 2025-26 results
- Congress gridlocked on key issues as year-end deadline looms
- Delegates delayed at Brynglas Tunnels is Drakeford's fault
- No quick fix for ‘tiresome’ M50 gridlock, Minister says
- GRIDLOCK Definition & Meaning
- IndiGo Flights Cancellation Live Updates