The Running Man is the latest movie adaptation of a Stephen King book, and director Edgar Wright snuck in a reference to one of the writer’s most famous works: IT. Minor spoilers ahead.
The new Glen Powell action vehicle isn’t a complete reboot of the 1987 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, instead it’s a more faithful adaptation of the 1982 book by King. It’s one of the seven novels he wrote under his Richard Bachman pseudonym.
The Running Man takes place in a grimy dystopian future where Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is forced to take part in a gameshow where he’s hunted across America to try to win money so that he can pay for his daughter’s medical treatment. It’s a little different to the deadly arenas of the Schwarzenegger movie.
But the film also snuck in a cool reference to IT, which is great timing since It: Welcome to Derry is currently streaming on HBO.
Ben Richards hides out in Derry during The Running Man
Don’t worry, Glen Powell doesn’t have to fight Pennywise in a deathmatch or anything (although, that movie would probably make a billion dollars, give us a call Warner Bros.) but Ben Richards hides out in regular Stephen King location Derry while he’s on the run during the gameshow.
The Running Man doesn’t give audiences a thorough tour through the infamous town, nor does it hint at anything overly spooky because that wouldn’t fit the vibe of the dystopian action movie. Richards arrives in Derry after fleeing Boston, and teams up with Elton Perrakis (Michael Cera) a left-wing organizer who is determined to keep the hero alive as a symbol of resistance against the FreeVee network.
Ultimately, Derry is just a brief stop-off for Richards, as it isn’t long before Perrakis sends him off to find his next location, an underground bunker. But it’s a subtle way of acknowledging the wider King universe, especially while It: Welcome to Derry has gripped horror fans with weekly episodes.
It’s not clear whether The Running Man takes place in the same universe as IT and IT: Welcome to Derry, and the town’s inclusion is likely just a fun reference to King’s work rather than a specific look at the town after the Loser’s Club defeated Pennywise.
Although, it’s clear that Derry isn’t doing great.
Through some dialogue from Perrakis, The Running Man reveals that the town has dealt with plenty of economic and social hardship as a result of the film’s dystopian future ruled by corporations. The woods surrounding the town have been bulldozed to make way for new housing, and the police department has been folded into FreeVee’s security forces.
Who needs a killer clown roaming the sewers when there are villains like producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) making life difficult for normal people?
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