Edgar Wright explains Arnold Schwarzenegger's cameo in The Running Man
Director Edgar Wright has explained Arnold Schwarzenegger's cameo in his new version of his 1987 film The Running Man - revealing he was inspired by a scene in Sylvester Stallone's 1993 blockbuster Demolition Man.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's cameo appearance in The Running Man reboot was inspired by a scene in Demolition Man.
The 78-year-old actor-turned-politician starred in the 1987 film adaptation of Stephen King's 1982 novel and director Edgar Wright has brought the story back to the big screen with a new version starring Glen Powell. Eagle-eyed movie fans spotted a nod to the original when a picture of Schwarzenegger is shown on a $100 bill - which usually feature the images of US presidents - and Wright has now revealed the moment was inspired by a scene in 1993 blockbuster Demolition Man which starred Schwarzenegger's arch-rival Sylvester Stallone.
Wright told The Hollywood Reporter: "We thought of it as an alternate reality where they changed the rules so people born outside the United States could run for president ...
"I thought it was a nice little nod [to the 1987 version of The Running Man]. [Co-writer] Michael Bacall had written the idea about a new currency, 'new dollars', into the script.
"You only see the Arnold one in close-up, but we did all of the bills with different presidents. And I have to give credit to [screenwriter] Daniel Waters.
"It’s a shared joke with the Demolition Man universe. In Demolition Man, they mention President Schwarzenegger, so it’s my little shout out to both Arnie and Daniel Waters."
Wright insisted the new film is closer to King's original book than the 1987 version but he hopes fans of the first movie will enjoy his new take.
He told the publication: "It does have a passionate cult following that I’m very aware of, and I would hope that the people who love the 1987 film would love this. But I don’t think that factored into it as much as me knowing that there was a different movie in [the source material].
"The best remakes of films or the best new adaptations are where you’re doing something radically different with it ...
"When there are remakes that feel like a shot-for-shot remake, I wonder: 'Why even bother if you’re just doing the same beats as the other film?'
"So those movies don’t really interest me, and they feel a bit like karaoke.
"But this felt like a fresh movie because the source material hadn’t been fully adapted, and most of the characters in the book are not in the 1987 film."
