Troubled production

Few ‘80s blockbusters endured as much behind-the-scenes chaos as The Running Man.

The movie cycled through multiple directors before cameras even rolled - including The Fugitive’s Andrew Davis, who was fired after just a week of shooting over creative differences.

Rambo: First Blood Part II’s George P. Cosmatos had also been attached the project, only to leave over budget disputes.

Alex Cox and Ferdinand Farfax were also involved in The Running Man at some point before both walked away from the film.

When television veteran Paul Michael Glaser - best known for helming of Starsky and Hutch - eventually stepped in, production was already under tight deadlines, forcing him to reshape the movie on the fly.

According to screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, this constant turnover created tension on set but also gave the film its anarchic tone.

He recounted: “Every director had their own vision - one wanted gritty realism, one wanted political commentary, and Paul wanted pop energy and spectacle.

“What you see on screen is that collision of all three.”

Despite the turmoil, the end result became a uniquely 1980s mix of action, media satire, and unintentional prophecy about reality television’s rise.