Stephen King in Conversation with Edgar Wright
In a landmark year for screen adaptations of Stephen King's work, Edgar Wright, director of The Running Man, discusses the themes of media manipulation, genre appeal, and the striking parallels between fiction and reality over the fifty years since King wrote the original novella.
The Premise of The Running Man
Stephen King's The Running Man is set in a dystopian future where a government-controlled TV network distracts and controls the population through a brutal, deadly gameshow. The original book jacket proclaimed:
“Welcome to America in 2025 when the best men don’t run for president. They run for their lives…”
Publication History and Adaptations
- Although published in 1982, King wrote it a decade earlier under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
- It gained greater recognition in 1985 as part of The Bachman Books, a collection including Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), and Roadwork (1981).
- In 1987, Paul Michael Glaser directed a loose film adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, retaining only the deadly gameshow concept.
Edgar Wright’s Faithful Adaptation
Edgar Wright’s more faithful film version of The Running Man is notably releasing in 2025, the very year King imagined as a distant future when he first conceptualized the story.
“When I wrote The Running Man, 2025 seemed so far in the future that I couldn’t even grasp it in my mind,” King reflects.
Reflection on Reality and Fiction
The adaptation invites audiences to consider how closely modern reality has come to the speculative future King envisioned, highlighting ongoing concerns about media control and society’s fascination with violent entertainment.
Author's Summary
This conversation reveals how King's vision of a dystopian 2025 resonates today through Wright's faithful adaptation, emphasizing media's power and society's reflection in fiction.