The Running Man Remake Connects Directly To A Classic Stephen King Location

Stephen King movies are known for containing hidden references to his other works, and that trend continues with Edgar Wright's bloodthirsty sci-fi actioner, "The Running Man." According to the December 2025 issue of SFX Magazine (via Cinemablend), part of the movie takes place in Derry, Maine — a fictional town that fans of the author's stories will be more than familiar with.

Derry is the primary setting of "It" and some of King's other tales of terror, but viewers shouldn't go into "The Running Man" expecting to see Ben Richards (Glen Powell) bump into Pennywise the Clown while he tries to evade assassins for the public's entertainment. The aforementioned article notes that Derry Town Hall crops up in the background during one scene, so it will probably be nothing more than a blink-and-you-will-miss-it Easter egg.

That said, while Derry is synonymous with "It," the town has a significant connection to "The Running Man," as it was mentioned in King's original story, which was released in 1982 — four years before "It" was published. With that in mind, it seems that Wright did his King homework prior to making the movie, and he wants fans of the source material to know that the film will honor it in a big way.

The "Running Man" trailer teases some changes from Stephen King's original book, but Edgar Wright has promised fans that it will be quite a faithful adaptation for the most part. While speaking to BFI, the director revealed that he has been itching to make this movie for over 15 years, and he wanted it to be completely different from the 1987 film adaptation of "Running Man" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger:

"I'd read the book when the [Richard] Bachman books were re-released in the mid-80s. [...] I was probably about 14. So, when I finally saw the 1987 film, as a young film fan — probably still in my teens — it was the first time I watched something and was very aware of how loose the adaptation was. [...] They didn't really adapt the book at all. They used some of the setup, but the bulk of the story hadn't been adapted. That always stuck with me, that there was a whole other film in the source material."

Regardless of how faithful Wright's film is to King's novel, the author is already an admitted fan of the flick. As reported by Variety, King praised Wright's take on "The Running Man" for staying true to its source material while also throwing in enough twists to keep him entertained and surprised.

"The Running Man" opens in theaters on November 14, 2025.