was the first Stephen King movie of 2025, but there’s another big project from King’s works coming up that is nothing like The Monkey. The works of Stephen King have a variety of characters – humans, supernatural, evil, good, and ambiguous –, and as such, they continue to be a source of inspiration and material for filmmakers. Various Stephen King stories are currently in development both in film and TV, and 2025 kicked off with The Monkey, based on the 1980 short story of the same name and directed by Osgood Perkins.

The Monkey introduces twins Hal and Bill, who find a drum-playing toy monkey that belonged to their father. Every time the toy is activated, and once it’s done playing its drums, there’s a chain reaction that leads to the death of someone close to them. Years later, when bizarre deaths happen again, Hal reluctantly returns to team up with Bill so they can find and destroy the toy. The Monkey has been praised for its mix of horror and comedy and its creative deaths, but it’s not something that can be expected from the next Stephen King movie releasing this year.

The next movie adaptation of a Stephen King story releasing in 2025 is The Running Man. Based on the 1982 novel of the same name and directed by Edgar Wright, The Running Man stars Glen Powell as Ben Richards, and accompanying Powell are Karl Glusman, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Laty O’Brian, Colman Doming, and William H. Macy. King’s novel is set in 2025, with the world’s economy in shambles and America now a totalitarian dystopia. It’s unknown if Wright’s The Running Man will keep the novel’s 2025 setting or go further into the future.

Still, the story follows Richards, an impoverished resident of Co-Op City who has been blacklisted from his trade. Desperate for money as his daughter is gravely ill, and his wife has resorted to sex work, . The game consists of the contestant being declared an enemy of the state and released with a 12-hour head start before an elite team of hitmen employed by the Network, called Hunters, set out to kill him.

For each hour he stays alive and avoids capture, the contestant earns $100, and an extra $100 for every Hunter or law enforcement officer he kills. , and before the game begins, he’s given $4,800 and a pocket video camera to record videos that the Network will broadcast, and he can travel anywhere in the world. On top of that, there’s a reward for viewers who tip the Network on the contestant’s whereabouts, so it's up to Richards to survive long enough to secure his family’s future and safety.

Despite both movies being based on Stephen King stories, The Monkey and The Running Man are completely different genres, but the suspense and horror aspects are their connecting links. , and Perkins made sure to enhance those comedic moments. , with some heavy social commentary (or, at least, the novel has such). Throughout The Running Man, Richards and the audience realize how the media twists information and manipulates stories to their benefit, putting Richards at greater risk.

The Running Man has action in Richards’ mission to survive the game, suspense in the same, horror in everything he goes through, and some unexpected twists. Edgar Wright is no stranger to action, thriller, and horror, having made Baby Driver and Last Night in Soho, so what can be expected from his adaptation of The Running Man is a visually stunning thriller with lots of suspense and incredible action scenes.

The Monkey has an unexpected advantage over The Running Man, and it’s all about how each story has been adapted. , as it got an hour-long short film adaptation in 2024, directed by Spencer Sherry. , as it got a film adaptation in 1987, directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

However, , most notably Richards’ backstory and what led him to join the game. The Running Man was a moderate box office success and got mixed reviews from critics, and currently holds a 66% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. 2025’s is expected to be a lot more loyal to Stephen King’s novel, which will be key to its success.