"You probably couldn't end a studio movie the way Stephen King's novel version of The Running Man ends. It's a bleak ending for a bleak novel: the protagonist flies a plane into the headquarters of the totalitarian megacorp, The Network, slaughtering hundreds, including himself and the ruthless executive who made his life hell. Needless to say, Edgar Wright's new adaptation of The Running Man doesn't end that way."
"In a twisty ending that plays with the audience's perception of truth and fiction, The Running Man delivers an ending that is both loyal to King's original novel, and is also much, much more optimistic. But regardless of how King fans will feel about this new ending, Wright assures Inverse that the author gave it his blessing. The Running Man Ending Explained"
"As Ben Richards (Glen Powell) nears the end of two weeks surviving The Running Man, he knows that his time is running out. No contestant has lasted the full 30 days required to win the show, because - as rebel and mega-fan Bradley Throckmorton (Daniel Ezra) told him - the Network rigs it that way. By the end of two weeks, ratings for the show will have peaked, and the Hunters will have finished playing with the final surviving contestant"
An earlier, darker ending has the protagonist flying a plane into the Network headquarters, killing hundreds and himself. The new film adaptation avoids that literal finale while delivering a twisty climax that blurs truth and fiction and feels more optimistic. Ben Richards survives two weeks of the televised hunt and faces a rigged system that prevents any contestant from lasting 30 days. Public support grows as rebels Bradley and Elton foment revolt and spread the chant “Richards Lives!” After Elton is shot, Ben carjacks Amelia, witnesses the Network create deepfake footage of her, and sees orchestrated traffic manipulation.
Read at Inverse
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