The Running Man is now playing in theaters, and while Edgar Wright's re-adaptation of Stephen King's novel stick pretty closely to the source material, it does make one major change to the ending.
If you've read the book, you'll probably already know exactly what was altered and why, but for those that haven't, here's your spoiler warning.
King's dystopian tale concludes with Ben Richards hijacking a plane, with hostages Amelia (played by Emilia Jones in the movie) and lead hunter Evan McCone (Lee Pace) along for the ride. When network owner Killian (Josh Brolin) calls Ben to tell him that his wife and child have been killed, Richards kills McCone, forces Amelia to parachute to safety, and then flies the plan directly into the network building, killing Killian and himself.
As you may have guessed, Wright gives his take on the story a much happier ending.
In the movie, the plane is actually shot down before it reaches the building, and the public assumes that Richards has been killed. However, we then see Ben's wife and daughter alive and well in a grocery store, where Ben (hiding his face behind a mask) has paid for their items. Richards then returns to the Running Man set, and executed Killian in front of the cameras as the crowd tears apart the set.
During an interview with EW, Wright revealed that King was on board with the new ending.
"He watched the film recently, and one thing he said that I really liked, he said, 'It's much more faithful to the book, but different enough to keep it exciting for me.' It's more faithful to the book than the previous adaptation [the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger], but it does have changes and twists. So I think like Ben Richards, you want to keep readers of the book on the back foot as well."
"In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort.
But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall."