Nobody's a better judge of a Stephen King movie than the author himself.
As one of the most prolific novelists working today, the 78-year-old King has produced a wide array of best-selling novels and critically acclaimed short stories.
Given their popularity in the annals of literature, it's hardly a surprise that many of these stories have provided the basis for mainstream films and TV series, be it in the form of HBO's recent It: Welcome to Derry or beloved films like The Shawshank Redemption or The Shining.
As many different adaptations of the author's work has been released so far, King himself hasn't been shy when it comes to movies that fail to live up to their literary precursor.
Fortunately, the upcoming sci-fi action film The Running Man — which hits theaters Friday, November 14 — more than matches King’s source material.
Taking to social media to share his own reaction to the film, the author had nothing but kind words for Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright's latest film.
"I've seen it and it's fantastic,” King said on X. “DIE HARD for our time."
Based on King's 1982 novel of the same name, The Running Man is set in a dystopian future where everyday violence has become a primary source of entertainment.
Within this nightmarish setting, a down-on-his-luck blue-collar worker (Glen Powell) is forced to compete in a deadly televised competition, narrowly staying one step ahead of professional assassins tirelessly pursuing him.
The second adaptation of King's novel, The Running Man was originally made into a 1987 action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. While King has given the thumbs up for the new version of the film, he has long lamented the unfaithfulness of the 1987 adaptation, writing that the book's original protagonist was "as far away from the Arnold Schwarzenegger character in the movie as you can get."
