Hollywood Flashback: Schwarzenegger’s ‘Running Man’ Faced Major 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 on November 14, faced numerous issues during production, including shifting directors and missed deadlines. The 1987 adaptation of The Running Man had a far more chaotic development than the upcoming remake.
Inspired by King’s 1982 dystopian work published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, the movie featured Arnold Schwarzenegger as a framed police officer forced to participate in a deadly TV show where professional killers hunt prisoners for entertainment.
Producer George Linder discovered the novel in an airport bookstore and initially imagined Christopher Reeve in the lead role. However, Schwarzenegger ultimately took the part, with screenwriter Steven E. de Souza — known for Commando, 48 Hrs., and Die Hard — revising the script multiple times as new directors came on board.
“As the different directors would come in, I would have to do a revision for their vision,” recalled de Souza in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Filmmaker Andrew Davis, later recognized for The Fugitive, was originally hired but dismissed two weeks into filming due to scheduling setbacks. The producers then brought in Paul Michael Glaser — known for portraying Starsky in Starsky & Hutch — who had recently transitioned to directing after his debut with the 1986 thriller Band of the Hand.
Author’s Summary
Schwarzenegger’s Running Man endured a rocky production marked by creative turnover, delays, and reworks before becoming a defining dystopian action film of its era.