Bonus Episode - The Running Man (2025) Review & Ranking: Edgar Wright’s Stephen King Adaptation

In this episode of the Stephen King podcast, Lou is joined by co-hosts Jesse and Karen to discuss Edgar Wright’s 2025 adaptation of The Running Man, the second film version after the 1987 Schwarzenegger movie. They outline the near-future premise of an authoritarian media network running a lethal televised manhunt and share reactions to the film’s tone as a “popcorn thriller” with on-the-nose social commentary. The group highlights cast standouts (including Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Michael Cera, and Lee Pace), discusses themes like violence as entertainment, AI/deepfakes and propaganda, and critiques the movie’s weak, videogame-like hit squad villains and altered ending versus the book. They finish by ranking The Running Man among 2025 King adaptations, placing it below The Life of Chuck and The Long Walk, and often behind Welcome to Derry. 00:00 Welcome Back and Big Question 01:24 Plot Setup and Dystopian World 02:44 First Impressions and Tone 04:30 Cast Highlights and Cameos 11:12 Adaptation Tone Versus Book 13:08 Opening Act and Ben Richards 17:31 Early Chase and Media Spectacle 22:40 Desensitization and Reality TV 27:25 Why Anyone Joins the Game 33:33 Deepfakes and Rigged Narrative 39:50 Villains and Hit Squad Critique 40:53 Hit Squad Problem 42:33 Popcorn vs Satire 43:41 NPC Villains Critique 45:43 Fixing Lee Pace Arc 46:52 Book Ending Debate 48:42 Hopeful Ending Defense 54:56 Adaptation Expectations 57:49 Ratings and Rewatch 59:07 Ranking King 2025 01:04:40 The Monkey Rant 01:06:36 Wrap Up and Plugs

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