Edgar Wright’s vision for The Running Man finally gets a Rotten Tomatoes score, and it may be enough to set a perfect record for Stephen King. The upcoming dystopian thriller is based on King’s 1982 novel, which was published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. While plenty of King novels have been adapted to the screen, The Running Man was only made once before, in the 1987 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
With Wright’s version set to release on November 14, the first reviews have been released. Based on 64 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, The Running Man debuts with a 64% critical score, which is just enough to be designated “Fresh.” The result is a slight improvement from the Schwarzenegger version, which landed at 59%. However, it also marks the lowest-rated movie for Wright, who is the mastermind behind critical darlings like Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver, and Hot Fuzz.
Even though the Rotten Tomatoes score is just hanging above the 60% threshold, it’s enough to set a clean sweep for King, who had four of his stories adapted into movies this year, as well as two series. The 2025 movie schedule was packed with multiple King adaptations, starting with Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey and now ending that run with The Running Man.
|
Stephen King Adaptations Released In 2025 |
Rotten Tomatoes’ Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
The Monkey |
77% |
55% |
|
The Life Of Chuck |
80% |
88% |
|
The Long Walk |
88% |
85% |
|
The Institute |
64% |
71% |
|
IT: Welcome To Derry |
78% |
80% |
|
The Running Man |
64% |
N/A |
If The Running Man score holds, this means that all the King adaptations in 2025 had a “fresh” designation, maintaining a rare perfect record for a single release year. The highest-rated movie of this year was Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk, which earned a high 88% critical score.
Nevertheless, The Running Man is the lowest-rated King movie of 2025, and critics are very mixed about the remake. Glen Powell, who portrays the protagonist Ben Richards, is the clear standout among the reviews, commanding him for his charms and solidifying his status as an action star.
However, the problems seem to lie in the story’s execution, with some critics arguing that the message feels lost, especially in attempts to address its relevance in today’s climate. Others criticized the pacing, while the blend of violence and storytelling was sloppy.
ScreenRant‘s Alex Harrison, more or less, shared similar views in The Running Man review. While Wright takes full advantage of Powell’s charisma, he also agrees that the dystopian aspect “suffers from a certain softness.” He also notes the following in the building up to the end, saying:
When Wright tries to return to some of King’s weightiness in the last act, it feels forced and awkward.
Nevertheless, Harrison still enjoyed the viewing experience, awarding a 7 out of 10 stars. In addition, King and Schwarzenegger also had very positive reactions to the 2025 remake. The iconic author called the adaptation “fantastic” and described it as “DIE HARD for our time.” Schwarzenegger praised Wright’s vision as “unbelievable and creative” after sharing that “The only movie that I always wanted to have redone of my movies was Running Man.”
The dystopian thriller follows Powell’s protagonist, who enters the titular game show with the chance of winning $1 billion if he manages to survive a team of hunters for 30 days. In addition to Powell, The Running Man cast consists of Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, Lee Pace, and William H. Macy. Wright co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Bacall.
The Running Man will be released in theaters on November 14, 2025.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2025
- Producers
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George Linder, Nira Park, Simon Kinberg