In just over a month, Edgar Wright’s new take on The Running Man will be out, and it’ll have some changes to source material. This also includes its conclusion, and if you don’t want to know how the original book ended, you should go no further.
At the end of the 1979 novel, Ben Richards—portrayed in the new film by Glen Powell—learns his wife and daughter were killed, leading to him using a plane to kill himself and the Games Network that runs the titular bloodsport. An ending like that would probably court unwanted attention, and Wright told UK outlet Film Stories that he and co-writer Michael Bacall “knew at the outset that [the novel’s ending] wasn’t going to be part of this adaptation.”
Thus, a new ending was crafted, but the specifics are under wraps. A change like that required King’s signoff, and Wright candidly called the day the script was sent off “possibly the most nerve-wracking day of the entire production.” But King was high on the entire script and had no qualms about switching things up: Wright felt King knew a change was in the air, and recalled him being “very curious” about how the ending would be approached. “He said we did a ‘great job,’ so I was very happy with that,” said Wright.
On some level, this isn’t too surprising, since the 1987 version of The Running Man also changed the ending so Richards and Amber Mendez go to kiss after Killian died on live TV. It’s also not the only King adaptation to deviate from the source material in that way, as The Long Walk also takes a sharp divergence, and longtime fans of King can likely name every change in the films and shows based on his work.
We’ll see how The Running Man sticks the landing with its new ending when it hits theaters November 14.
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