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Stephen King's Angry Alter Ego: The Surprising Story Behind 'The Running Man'
15 Nov
Summary
- Stephen King wrote 'The Running Man' under the Bachman pseudonym when he was an "angry young man"
- The new movie adaptation has a different ending than King's original novel
- King says he's "not that guy anymore" and no longer as angry as he was when writing the Bachman books
As of November 2025, a new movie adaptation of Stephen King's 1982 novel 'The Running Man' has hit theaters. The film, directed by Edgar Wright, imagines a future where a desperate unemployed father competes on a deadly TV game show to provide for his sick daughter.
King, who wrote 'The Running Man' under his Bachman pseudonym, says the book was one of his "angry" early works. "A lot of the early books, particularly the Bachman books, were angry books," he explains. The author, who is no longer the "angry young man" he was when penning these novels, is pleased to see the movie capture that intensity through actor Glen Powell's performance.
While the film's climax differs from King's original ending, the author approves of the new take. In the book, the protagonist crashes a plane into the TV studio, but in the movie, he is reported dead before dramatically revealing himself alive to the audience. King says "people who have read the book and see the movie have a special treat because they can have it both ways."
