With The Hunger Games turning out to be one of the most successful recent franchises, it's no surprise that this popular 1987 action movie might return to screens as a reboot or sequel. Those familiar with Arnold Schwarzenegger's filmography should know exactly which film we're talking about. Yup, it's The Running Man, Schwarzenegger's (underrated, in our opinion) futuristic battle movie based on the Stephen King novel. In it, he's the star of a televised game that finds him on the run and fighting for his life against popular gladiator-type warriors with names like Subzero and Buzzsaw in various environments.
While the film has been the subject of reboot rumors in the past, Schwarzenegger seemed to suggest over the weekend that he's been asked to reprise his role as Ben Richards for a new Running Man movie. During a Q&A in London, he said, "There's rumblings of a new Running Man movie, so it's a great honor to be asked back." He stopped there, but it certainly sounds like they're trying to get this one off the ground fairly quickly.
If Schwarzenegger does return to do another Running Man movie, it'll join the likes of Terminator: Genisys (and its planned sequels), The Legend of Conan and a Twins sequel (called Triplets) as another franchise being resurrected by the former Governator. We're big fans of The Running Man, which was exploring themes of televised killing for sport in a future society long before Katniss was fighting for her own life in that Hunger Games arena.
In fact, while he's less despicable, Hunger Games host Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) reminds us a lot of Running Man host Damon Killian (Richard Dawson). The two movies have a lot in common, so the decision to bring Running Man back makes sense.
What do you think about a Running Man return? Should it be as a sequel or a reboot?
