Original subtitles

[film projector whirring]

[♪ upbeat music]

[Narrator] In the mid-80s,

it was all about action

- for Arnie. - [gun firing]

With guns...

and more guns.

Firing on all cylinders.

Thanks to "Conan" and "The Terminator,"

Arnold was getting plenty of time in the spotlight.

He just wasn't getting many lines.

"Conan" was basically a silent movie.

[Narrator] Arnold had even fewer lines

in "The Terminator."

I think he has 12 lines.

I mean, literally, not figuratively.

[Narrator] Schwarzenegger didn't just have more lines

- in "Commando." - Why don't they just

call him Girl George?

- He had jokes. - Como estas?

[mercenary grimacing]

[Narrator] Thanks to a punch-up from this man.

Hi, I'm Steven de Souza,

and I had the privilege of working with Arnold

on "Commando."

De Souza wrote all the one-liners.

You are a funny guy, Sully. I like you.

That's why I'm going to kill you last.

[Narrator] It was clear Steven could write for Arnold.

That whole film was cliched one liners, come on.

[Narrator] "Predator" featured more action...

- [explosions booming] - ...and more quips.

- Stick around. - But how do you top

over-the-top?

- Who is he? - Are you kidding?

That's Ben Richards.

- The answer? - [Announcer] "The Running Man."

But the real survival story...

"The Running Man" was chaos.

[Narrator] ...would happen behind the scenes?

I don't know whether we can keep going like this.

[♪ epic music]

- From Superman... - We envisioned someone like--

Chris Reeve as the star.

- ...to superstars. - Most people told me

he's unobtainable.

Will production chaos...

It was the kind of chaos that was always entertaining.

- ...result in a classic? - Pleased as punch.

[fighter wincing and groaning]

- Or... - Richards,

you're gonna fry for this.

Arnold threw his napkin down on the table.

That boy's one mean mother--

[Narrator] Would Arnold break his own box office records?

One of us is in deep trouble.

[Narrator] Or would it be the end

of Schwarzenegger's pun run?

- Give you a lift? - Let's put that in.

He sings opera. What the hell, why not?

[♪ Dynamo singing]

- You ready? - Ready to go for broke,

right by your side.

Dawson was a handful.

Yes, yes, yes!

Here's something the world don't know.

The hell with you.

And I'm gonna hit you with it.

[♪ dramatic music]

[Narrator] Set in a dystopian future...

Brainwashed by the TV.

- ...Arnold Schwarzenegger's - [Audience] The Running Man!

captivated audiences with its diabolical plot.

Got a contract with the government.

They send me the convicts, I put them on the show.

[Narrator] It's a story packed with satire.

Stop trying to teach The Constitution to the street punks.

- Action. - [explosion booming]

And campy one-liners.

- Jesus Christ. - Guess again.

[Narrator] And it all begins with this man.

[laughs] My name is George Linder.

[Narrator] George is not a screenwriter or a director,

- but instead-- - We formed the company

called Quadra.

We made wheelchairs that weighed 20 pounds.

[Narrator] The story may have ended

with Arnold bringing down the network.

But it started with-

We took lightweight bicycle technology

and applied it to wheelchairs, which no one had ever done.

We sold around the world.

[Narrator] Those wheelchairs gave George the money

he needed to pursue other endeavors.

I wanted to be in the film business.

It's something I kind of fantasized about,

like I think a lot of people do.

[Narrator] George enlisted aspiring screenwriters,

Chris Cosby and Mel Friedman.

A friend of mine's wife worked for wheelchair

manufacturer named George Linder,

and George wanted to get into the film business.

The idea of optioning a book really appealed to him.

[Narrator] Now all Mel and Chris needed

was a book to adapt.

And the plan was, we would read the back cover

of every science fiction or spec fiction book in the store.

We kept going through the stacks.

I dropped about 20 books.

I remember the cashier came over to me

and said, "Hey, are you planning to buy those?"

And I said, "Yeah."

[Narrator] After a full day of perusing--

Two days later, Mel called me

and said, "I think I found it."

And it was a book called "The Running Man,"

by an unknown author, Richard Bachman.

- The premise-- - In the future,

the best men don't run for president,

they run for their lives.

We pitched it to George.

George lit up.

I thought the premise

of a futuristic game show was unique.

- This was his book. - [Narrator] Now, all Chris had to do

was reach out to Richard Bachman's agent,

who had proved to be a tough negotiator.

He gave me a quote that was clearly above market.

- 20,000 for the option. - Way above market.

And another 80,000 to purchase, which was 100,000.

So I asked him, "Why are you asking so much money

for this book by this unknown guy?"

"My client is very eccentric.

He doesn't care about making movies.

He just cares about making money."

[Narrator] Which meant George would have to sell

a lot of wheelchairs.

I was invested emotionally.

Within a month or so, we had a deal for the book.

[Narrator] The final deal gave George's team

just two years to get Bachman's book into production.

The clock was ticking on the option,

so we had to move fast.

And Chris and I decided,

we're just gonna go ahead and write the screenplay.

George wanted to be in the writing sessions.

Who were we to say no?

It was his money on the line. Let's go.

- [Narrator] The approach? - We loved the emotional core

of the book.

Richard Bachman was a pretty good writer, yeah.

- [Narrator] They had no idea. - After about a year or so,

we had a solid first draft.

- Which meant-- - The clock was ticking.

[Narrator] And with only one year left on the option-

- Yeah. - George could either--

Exercise the option or walk away.

- [Narrator] His decision? - Buy the rights,

so I have to come up with another 80,000.

[Narrator] Bringing George's total bill to $100,000,

which today would be nearly 300 grand.

I owned the film rights.

I really wanted to see this happen and see it through.

[Narrator] Spending a small fortune

for the rights to a discount paperback.

Took a lot of guts to do this.

[Narrator] It was time for the wheelchair salesman

to start swimming with the sharks.

In the mid 80s, Jeff Katzenberg comes up with this idea

of taking a whitewater rafting trip down to Colorado

through the Grand Canyon.

[Narrator] The guest list was a Hollywood who's who.

Tony Scott, I mean, Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer,

Tom Cruise, Rob Cohen.

Every bro on the trip was a Hollywood player,

except for one.

There's this guy named George.

- Yeah. - Who's George?

I knew a couple agents.

They asked me if I wanted to go, I said, "Sure."

Hollywood people are pretty snotty about civilians,

so nobody was paying any attention to George.

I said, "Well, how'd you get

in the wheelchair business?"

He said, "But you know,

I really wanna be in the movie business."

And, you know, then your eyes go at half-mast, and you go,

"Oh, no. Not another amateur idea of a project."

[Narrator] While George was an amateur filmmaker,

he was a professional salesman.

He told me the storyline on this trip

and I thought it's great.

John Ptak became my agent,

and on the rafting trip was Tom Pollock.

Tom Pollock, who was also my attorney.

[Narrator] Tom Pollock had just become vice chairman

of Universal Studios,

and his company was the premiere legal entertainment firm

in Hollywood.

I pitched it and he said, "Yeah,

I think you got something here, yeah." [laughs]

[Narrator] So a wannabe film producer wheelchair salesman...

- You know, George who? - ...goes on an industry

who's who rafting trip...

All these Hollywood clowns that are looking down on him.

- ...scores himself an agent... - Was a bit of a wild card.

[Narrator] ...and a top industry lawyer.

Tom Pollock became my lawyer,

which I guess all helped. [laughs]

[Narrator] Tom soon learned Richard Bachman was a ghost.

A sharp-eyed bookstore clerk

spotted the similar writing styles and blew Bachman's cover.

Tom Pollock, he said, "Are you sitting down?"

- I said, "What's up?" - He said--

"Richard Bachman was actually

Stephen King."

[Narrator] For Stephen King, it was a matter of branding.

He wrote horror, and I think he thought,

"Well, I'm doing sci-fi.

I don't wanna confuse the audience, so--"

[Narrator] News of the new secret Stephen King novel--

It spread like wildfire in the press.

Hollywood knew about it overnight,

and overnight, George's deal for "The Running Man,"

probably became one of the best movie rights deals

for a bestselling author.

[Narrator] George liked the sound

of Stephen King's, "The Running Man." Only--

There was one stipulation.

Once the cat was out of the bag,

there was no right whatsoever

to mention Stephen King's name.

[Narrator] But Hollywood knew Richard Bachman

was Stephen King,

and that Stephen King movies made money.

And at that point,

it's almost like the studios were calling me,

instead of me chasing them, you know?

[Narrator] In 1986,

producer Keith Barish had entered into a partnership

with Taft Broadcasting.

So we financed the movie, "The Running Man."

[Narrator] Keith enlisted producer

and whitewater rafting enthusiast, Rob Cohen.

Linder tracked me down and sent me the script.

I said, "How much do you want for this? "

That's a good question.

[Narrator] George Linder's aspirations

were never financial.

It can take years

for some of these movies to get made or never.

I didn't wanna risk that.

He said, "Well, I would like 15,000 for the book.

I wanna be a producer."

I said, "Okay, you'll be a producer."

[Narrator] As well as 100,000 for the movie rights

and a piece of the back end.

I said, "Fine. Let's make a deal."

[Narrator] With a deal in place,

George's writers began brainstorming

their ideal Running Man.

Our vision of Ben Richards was an everyman

who was trying to save his daughter's life.

[Narrator] An everyman who saves lives,

- sounds like a job for-- - I've got you.

You, you've got me. Who's got you?

They were very interested in Chris Reeve as the star.

[Narrator] And Christopher Reeve was all ears.

He was looking for a role

outside of his Superman comfort zone.

And this was just the ticket.

Oh, sounds kinda natural.

[Narrator] But rather than lean into Stephen King's novel,

Rob looked elsewhere for inspiration.

[host screaming]

I had come through Japan.

I saw a TV show,

and it was contestants being tortured

on some kinda semi-comedic way.

The audience was cracking up at their pain.

And I thought, a life-and-death game show.

Yeah, well, it is a contact sport, right?

[Narrator] But Taft-Barish wasn't about to abandon

the work of Stephen King for some tawdry game show.

Shh.

It's...

Showtime!

They were super enthusiastic

about the ultimate send-up of a game show.

They really built up that element of it, the show, the sets.

[Narrator] It was more than a departure from Stephen King.

That was really quite different.

I didn't feel the emotional connection.

[Narrator] The influence of Taft-Barish

would weigh heavily on Chris and Mel.

We were disappointed in kind of the notes we were getting.

They went to George and George would bring them to us,

and then we'd start rewriting.

[Narrator] The budget was set at a cool--

$18 million, which is a huge amount.

And we made a deal with Tri-Star to distribute the movie.

[Narrator] But the new direction had Taft-Barish

reconsidering Christopher Reeve.

He won't look that good dirty.

Why would anyone wanna make a total stranger

- look like a fool? - He's so clean and so heroic.

- I'm sorry. - What I have in mind,

this is gonna get down and dirty.

I'm not sure that the concept and the actor fit as well.

And I didn't think he was right.

He was a good actor, but I don't think he was funny,

and I don't think he was, you know, an action star.

And I said, "Chris, I just don't think this is for you."

And he said, "Okay."

[Narrator] The end of Reeve's involvement

spelled the beginning of trouble for the writers.

When we started working with Taft-Barish,

things were going awry.

We were disappointed in kind of the notes we were getting.

And the notes were odd to me.

Wrestling Federation was huge about that time.

- It's a fact. - So they wanted

our characters to be larger than life.

- You gotta be big time! - Not realistic.

Give them names like Bulk.

- Standing next to me. - Hulk.

- Hulkamania. - Okay.

- Cartoonish. - Yeah, no,

we're not gonna do that. [laughs]

[Narrator] As a result, the rift between Taft-Barish

and George's original writers only deepened.

Mel and I just kinda shrugged.

You know, forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood.

[♪ intense suspenseful music]

[Narrator] "Running Man's" script

was like a runaway train,

swinging wildly from Stephen King's version

of a super dark and gritty...

I was invested emotionally.

[Narrator] ...to a clowny Japanese game show.

And it was contestants being tortured.

[Narrator] All of this without an actor signed up

to play the lead.

Our vision of Ben Richards was an everyman.

[Narrator] But with Superman dismissed...

He won't look that good dirty.

[Narrator] ...Rob Cohen had a superstar in mind.

My first thought was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

- He was very hot, coming off... - Sarah Connor?

..."Terminator" and "Commando."

- What'd you do with Sully? - I let him go.

Arnold was perfect, because Arnold's larger than life.

The idea is larger than life.

He was guaranteed box office.

Why wouldn't you want Arnold in an action movie?

[Narrator] With action rivals like Stallone scoring hits,

the role might just lure him in.

But the real question was,

would Arnold wanna work on an indie?

Most people told me, "He's unobtainable.

You're an independent company.

You're not gonna have the kind of money he needs."

But I kept saying, "This is a real part."

[Narrator] It was something Arnold had aspired for,

since making "Conan."

That I could get away from the muscle movies

and do maybe something where I wear clothes.

[Narrator] If he wanted clothes,

he shouldn't have signed up to a movie called "Commando."

Hello, gorgeous.

[Narrator] And Rob wanted to be the one

to offer Arnold the opportunity.

I called Lou Pitt, his agent.

"Give me a crack at Arnold.

If he doesn't like the script,

we don't have to meet, but give him the script."

- And his choice? - Sign here.

- Hey. - He said yes.

[Official yells]

[Narrator] As for Arnold's fee-

- $3 million, to star. - A solid payday for Arnold.

But what would be the repercussions

of having a big Hollywood star attached to an indie movie?

From a business standpoint,

it was the smartest thing they did,

but that necessitated a change in the story.

The moment they decided to go with Arnold Schwarzenegger,

they wanted a brand-name writer.

It's like, "Who the hell are Cosby & Friedman?"

[Narrator] Taft-Barish hoped to tailor the script

to Arnold by bringing in "Commando" writer,

- Steven de Souza. - I got pulled in

to do "The Running Man," by Rob Cohen.

He's just a crazy kind of mind

to get this thing going.

[Narrator] But de Souza was caught between a movie star

and a best-selling author.

I didn't wake up and say, "I need to like

undo some of Stephen King's ideas."

[Narrator] Only, he had to.

In the original book,

the character is underweight, underfed,

has asthma, and possibly emphysema.

Weighs a 120 pounds.

He wouldn't last 30 seconds.

Arnold does not fit that character.

Arnold wasn't really an everyman.

[Narrator] Change was required

because of Arnold's body, as well as his body of work.

They also made a major shift for Ben Richards.

Character in the novel wants to save his daughter.

Daddy? [screams]

[Narrator] Which also happens to be

the plot of "Commando."

Arnold and his people said,

"Look, this is the same thing again."

I'll save the girl!

So that's why the daughter

and the wife disappeared. Sorry, Stephen King.

- [cat meowing] - The pivot?

Now Arnold was playing an innocent man sent to jail.

This is all a lie. I was framed.

[Narrator] Any resemblance

to King's novel became fleeting,

as the script continued to be tailored

- to Arnold's screen persona. - I'll be back.

Only in a rerun.

Steve de Souza was full-on,

and he was their guy, and we were out of the picture.

[Narrator] Tragic, as there wouldn't even be a film

if it weren't for the duo's belief

in an unknown author, Richard Bachman.

This was the end of the line for the original scribes.

All the project needed now was a director.

- Enter-- - George Cosmatos.

[Narrator] Who was making waves thanks to "Rambo II."

He said, "I can't make the movie

for the budget you're giving me."

He said, "This movie's gonna be, you know, in the mid 20s."

He was impossible.

He came in and it was just like... [laughs]

So Mike Ovitz called me.

[Narrator] Who at the time

was the head of talent agency, CAA.

"I know it's not working out."

I said, "It really isn't."

Cosmatos exited the property.

And then there was a guy named Carl Schutz, Schultz,

- or Carl-- - Yeah, Carl Shank

was in there very briefly.

He was like in and out in two weeks.

[Narrator] Taft-Barish looked to the up

and coming British director--

- Ferdinand Fairfax. - But the director's taste

may have proved too British.

Oh my God, I forgot all about him.

[Narrator] Production struggled to keep calm and carry on,

when Fairfax began adding new ideas to the script,

- such as-- - That whenever

there's time for tea,

that everybody stops and has tea.

[Killian sipping tea]

Not just the killers, but also Arnold.

- What is this? - Tea.

It's not a request, moron. It's an order.

Yeah, that lasted about a nanosecond. [laughs]

[Narrator] Which meant it was time once again

to bring in another director.

Arnold brought up this film, "Code of Silence"...

Shh. ...in which Chuck Norris

gave a creditable performance.

And I said, "Oh, that's Andrew Davis."

[trainer grunting] Good combination.

They said, "We'll take care of everything.

You just direct the movie,

and we'll take care of the sets and the money

and this and that, you know?"

It was 'cause of Arnold, you know?

He was the one who probably said, "Get Andy."

He said, "Yeah, Andy Davis.

Andy. I want Andy."

Why don't you give it to me right now?

[Narrator] Making Andy Davis director number four.

The idea of the movie was interesting.

[Narrator] But Rob was done talking about ideas.

He wanted to talk numbers.

And I said, "Look, hear me clearly.

$18 million and you're gonna stick to that."

I said, "Okay, great." You know?

And Andy's now at the helm.

[Narrator] Having changed the script

and chosen the director,

Arnold turned his attention to casting.

But would Arnold's influence cross the line?

Arnold was walking out the door.

He turned around and he simply went,

"Pay him."

had begun to exert his [Narinfluence both in frontegger

and behind the camera.

"Yeah, Andy Davis.

Andy, I want Andy."

[Narrator] Andrew Davis was locked in as director,

but everyone knows where Arnold goes, his friends follow.

We were on the set down there in the jungle,

sitting in our chairs.

Arnold said to me one day,

he looks over and says, "Oh, Jesse,

my next film is "The Running Man."

There's a part in there you're perfect for."

[Crew Person] Captain Freedom to Wardrobe.

"Would you like it?" I said, "Absolutely."

[Narrator] But Taft-Barish were holding out.

Here's something the world don't know,

and I'm gonna hit you with it.

[Narrator] So again, Arnold stepped in

to get what he wanted.

Arnold gets on the phone

and first thing he says to me is,

"Jesse, I thought you were going to do

'The Running Man,' with me."

"I'd love to do 'The Running Man,' with you,

but you know, you gotta get the money right

before I can read the script."

Arnold burst out laughing.

[Narrator] But the next laugh would be on Taft-Barish.

And I heard Arnold was walking out the door.

He turned around and he simply went, "Pay him." [laughs]

[Narrator] When it came to the love interest,

casting director Jackie Burch

and director Andrew Davis

had one name at the top of their list.

Well, technically three.

- Who are you? - Maria Conchita Alonso.

[Narrator] Aware the actress was raised in Venezuela,

writer Steven de Souza

tailored the script to Maria's dialect.

Don't make a sound, do you understand?

I met her to get a sense of her personality

and lines she could read

and also what would be a tongue twister for her.

What are you talking about?

We thought that her accent

would actually compliment Arnold.

Me and my big mouth.

If everybody has an accent,

then no one has an accent. [laughs]

[Narrator] Yaphet Kotto didn't have an accent,

- but he was-- - A damn good actor.

You're a hell of an actor, Laughlin.

- Who is acting? - [Narrator] Playing Arnold's

closest ally,

Kotto was easily the most distinguished actor in the cast.

I don't wanna be the only asshole in heaven.

[Narrator] That's not to say he didn't have insecurities.

Yaphet Kotto comes up to me

and he said, "I don't wanna come out and shoot this scene.

My jumpsuit is too tight. My stomach's sticking out."

[George laughs]

[Narrator] One performer actually played themselves.

24 hours a day.

Seven days a week.

- Mick Fleetwood. - Yes, that Mick Fleetwood,

out of the legendary rock band, Fleetwood Mac,

an out-of-the-box choice

from casting director Jackie Burch

and director Andy Davis.

You know, if you have an underground rebellion brewing,

I'd follow Mick Fleetwood.

- This is nice, Mic. - One hitch.

The story was set 30 years in the future,

which meant Jeff Dawn

needed to make Mick Fleetwood-

Look old.

I thought you were looking for the door.

We did prosthetics on his whole face, a fake beard,

and he did a wonderful job.

[Narrator] For the host of "The Running Man,"

casting needed someone to represent evil incarnate.

A soulless corporate monster.

There was only one option.

Richard Dawson.

Of course, he was on "Hogan's Heroes,"

and did so many things, but then he was a game show host.

- [Announcer] Richard Dawson. -"Family Feud."

He was able to bring that extreme...

Yes!

...Evangelist energy to it.

It's time to start running!

Dawson was just a brilliant choice.

Dawson, I think, added a great deal.

Underneath all the bonhomie and the [laughs],

there's something cruel about game show hosts.

Somehow kind of enjoying people failing.

It's nothing to do with people.

It's to do with the ratings.

Dawson was so pitch-perfect.

What the hell's the matter with you?

- Just the kind of cynical... - Don't touch the hair.

- ...smooth guy. - That's the one

for the award's show, huh?

[Narrator] Richard Dawson even had Arnold gushing.

And Richard Dawson, of course,

is a top professional actor.

[Narrator] The casting of Richard Dawson

is quite the feather in the cap.

As to whose cap?

My sister, Jackie Burch, cast Richard Dawson.

[Narrator] Congrats to Jackie Burch.

So I wouldn't be so quick.

That was Arnold Schwarzenegger,

who was friends with Dawson.

I've been told it was Arnold's suggestion.

[Narrator] It seems Arnold deserves credit

for the casting of--

I suggested we use Richard Dawson.

[Narrator] So proper credit goes to George Linder, who--

Chris and I had discussed Richard Killian

should be Richard Dawson.

[Narrator] You gotta be kidding me.

For now, it appears credit for casting remains a mystery.

As the start of production loomed,

Andrew Davis was still playing catch-up.

There was a lot in place when I walked on the set,

because they just fired another director.

So I was like, step in and make this work, you know?

[Narrator] But that would be a matter of perspective.

In every area,

they were having trouble getting decisions on time.

Hard decisions call for hard solutions.

I called Andy and I said,

"Look, you've got to decide on the suit."

Let's go.

I am not gonna not start the show

because we don't have the costumes.

That probably is the dumbest reason,

and we can't incur these costs.

[Narrator] But is that how it happened?

Oh, but that's not true.

After 15 days,

they didn't have clothes for Arnold to wear.

[Narrator] And since optional clothing

was not an option for Arnold-

Do maybe something where I wear clothes.

[Narrator] Decisions would be made.

This stuff is garbage.

There's nothing more fundamental to making a movie a flop

or a hit, based on what you put on the actor.

- You have to create a shtick. - The hair.

Put some big gray streaks. It's a character.

You put a bad haircut on somebody--

They gave me that bouffant hair, dude.

That was the most irritating thing.

- You're over. - But as they say,

it's not over until the fat lady--

- You sing opera? - [♪ Buzzsaw singing]

What in the heck is the story with this guy?

Finding out that he was an opera singer.

And let's put that in. He sings opera.

What the hell? Why not?

Be singing an aria, as you're driving to kill Arnold.

[Narrator] Did Rob and Steven go too far?

It's so over the top now,

that you can just kinda shrug your shoulders.

The movie they made was not what we wrote.

- Also, - [Velcro ripping]

the idea of Ben wearing a spandex jumpsuit,

that just didn't work for us.

He looks marvelous, what are you talking about?

[Narrator] Whether Andrew Davis was ready

or not, cameras began to roll in September of 1986.

It's showtime.

One of the most remarkable sets

that we had wasn't a set at all.

It was the old Kaiser Metal Factory.

It had already been dismantled enough so you had the rubble.

[Rob] It was perfect for a post-apocalyptic zone.

[Narrator] And for the ultimate

post-apocalyptic accessory from the house of de Souza.

That was an invention of mine

that was not in the script. I don't know where it came from.

One Saturday night, when de Souza and I were stoned

out of our minds, we suddenly thought,

"What if they had a collar full of primer cord?

And if they cross the beam, [explosion booming]

their head blows up."

[Narrator] The amount of work

that went into transforming the factory

from bad to post-apocalyptic

would end up costing the production more than just money.

The problem was that set required a lot of dressing

and a lot of preparation.

From day one, we were not making our schedule.

Some of the production people estimated

that we were four days behind after eight days of shooting.

- In other words- - We're $400,000 over

after eight days.

[Narrator] Was Andrew Davis to blame?

I wasn't seasoned enough at that point to be able to say,

"I need to know the truth of what was really going on."

[Narrator] With production

already going overtime...

It ran over budget the first two weeks.

[Narrator] ...Rob Cohen was looking

to blame director, Andrew Davis.

From day one, we were not making our schedule.

Things looked like there were problems already,

in terms of how things were staged

and how the special effects were integrated,

and I was not thrilled with what I was seeing on the screen.

So I called Arnold.

He goes, "What?" I said, "We have some problems

and you and I need to talk."

[Narrator] His influence had led

to the hiring of Andy Davis.

Had his choices derailed another production?

They go, "What do you want to do?"

I said, "I don't know

whether we can keep going like this."

[Narrator] What Rob wanted was clear.

Exit stage left, Andy Davis.

Arnold got very angry.

He was very angry and he was very angry at me.

Now later, Arnold said,

"I'll never let him fire a director again.

They did it to Andy Davis. They shouldn't do it."

He was great. I loved working with Arnold.

He was a trooper.

He was very angry at me.

And he said, "You've always wanted

to direct this movie yourself!"

Arnold was really upset when they got rid of Andy Davis.

[Narrator] But as it turned out,

they wasn't a they, but a he.

Andy Davis was fired by my executive vice president.

You know, I just figured we have to make a move.

- Without my approval. - Rob Cohen had gone rogue.

The reason they gave me for firing Andy Davis was

he was a week behind, which didn't bother me.

[Narrator] Keith Barish wasn't alone

in his frustration with Rob.

I wasn't happy about it.

They didn't think they could reel him in, you know?

And I thought we could.

[Narrator] Rob needed a new director, fast.

We don't have time to find another director,

and any good director won't touch it.

So I had an idea.

[Narrator] That idea was someone who just happened

to be available, and a former colleague of Rob's.

We ended up with Paul Michael Glaser.

- Pleasure to meet you. - One of the characters

of "Starsky & Hutch."

He was...

I can't remember, was he Starsky or Hutch?

Starsky! Starsky!

When I was directing "Miami Vice,"

I got to meet Paul Michael Glaser, who was also directing.

[Narrator] Rob was depending on Paul Michael Glaser's

television discipline to keep production on track.

When you go to do a "Miami Vice,"

you're getting seven 12-hour days, that's it.

[Narrator] Small screen, small-time director

would need to deal with a big action star

who just lost his choice of director and was not happy.

Would he become the fifth director to get the sack?

He just jumped in and owned it, he did a good job.

He was confident. He knew what he wanted.

[Narrator] And for one actor,

the arrival of Glaser was a huge positive.

My name's Karen Leigh Hopkins and I played Brenda.

Brenda, you have this week's ratings?

They're the same as last week,

and those were the same all last month.

And I went from having a three- or four-day role

to being on it for six weeks.

[Narrator] Hired to play a role, she also had to eat them.

I did a take, 26 or 27 times, of just eating egg rolls.

Obviously not, Damon.

Paul would, in a fun way, dig into it

and just go, "No, let's try it again."

I'd go, "You want me to eat that egg roll again?

But eat it this way."

Damon, you know our contract.

We never get military prisoners.

All they want is some food, for God's sake.

I think that a lot of it was being decided week-to-week.

That's what it felt like.

[Narrator] Paul Glaser's meticulous process

was starting to eat into a budget

that was already about to blow.

Everybody agreed that it was gonna cost more.

A very initial budget was maybe around 18.

It's 18 and you're gonna stick to that.

- And now-- - 30 million.

[Narrator] Keith and Taft had no choice

but to dip into their contingency fund.

So once again, the stage was set...

The stalkers know

there's 400 square blocks of game zone out there.

[Narrator] ...for Cohen and de Souza's extreme vision

to play out.

I was delighted with the actors

they chose to be the stalkers.

They're called hunters in the book.

The inspiration for that was kind of wrestling.

Like, you know--

- Bulk and Hulk. - Cartoonish.

But you wanna have villains you can fall in hate with.

Big and bombastic and theatrical.

- Rob] Buzzsaw... - Buzzsaw!

[Rob] ...who was played by Gus Rethwisch.

Well, Gus, he had to work with that chainsaw.

- I love the saw. - So that got a little hairy.

[Narrator] Because using a fake chainsaw

wouldn't have been the same buzz.

It didn't sound right,

so we had to do the real deal.

In other words--

The saw's a part of me.

If it hits your neck, you're dead.

And I'm going to make it part of you.

[Narrator] Which was something they definitely wanted

- to avoid. - If it got too close to me,

I would wink, and then if it got too close to Arnold,

then he would blink twice real quick, and fairly dangerous.

Somebody could have gotten hurt.

And especially riding a motorcycle,

and I didn't have a lot of experience on a motorcycle.

[Narrator] To make matters worse.

They put pink contacts in me,

and they had all this smoke and it was at night.

I wasn't seeing too well.

At one point, I drove right into a wall

going about 40 miles an hour.

[tires squealing] [bike crashing]

I didn't even see the wall.

Ended up with a fractured forearm

and it wasn't a real bad fracture,

but it was a fracture nevertheless.

[Narrator] While Team Buzzsaw nursed their wounds,

another cast member could feel no pain.

Dawson was a handful.

Well, it had to happen sooner or later.

Oh my goodness, I've never had anyone that difficult.

You cannot have it both ways.

'Cause he was drunk at 10 in the morning.

[Narrator] Richard Dawson had become

a gregarious presence on-set.

Richard Dawson was a happy guy.

He was one of these guys

that woke up happy and went to sleep happy.

[Narrator] There was a reason for that.

He was smashed every minute of every day.

Yeah, see, I like that quality.

I think every day was a kind of a party

for Richard.

Lit was the word we used.

I thought he was funny, but he was drunk, obviously.

Get out. Everybody out.

He always had some stuff to say.

It's funny, I was gonna say the same thing about you.

And sometimes you have to say, "Shut the fuck up."

[Narrator] But shut up, he would not.

Hello, you're on the air.

Richard had his own rules.

[Narrator] As it was written into his contract.

He had control of dialogue,

which was his condition of joining.

I've got the brain.

I was trying to follow Richard.

So if Richard changed up a line,

then my line would have to change.

The one with the cute ass?

This is cuter. They just caught her downstairs.

Richard and I had a... unusual chemistry.

Sensational.

I'm not sure if it reads like chemistry, but it was fun.

He was such a character.

On tomorrow's broadcast of "The Running Man."

And I read one of the reviews

said that he played it three-quarters drunk,

which is exactly what he was.

At least three-quarters drunk, if not 100% drunk.

[Killian laughing]

[Narrator] Dawson was enjoying himself,

having traded out feuding families

for a front row seat to the actual Laker Girls,

who even came with their own choreographer.

Paula Abdul. Nobody knew who Paula Abdul was.

[Narrator] The future pop star

was tasked with helping the future governor.

- Yes? - No, no, no, no, no.

The other one.

So I walk in, six foot four, 250 pounds.

I was killing guys like this 10 years ago,

with my bare hands.

What in God's name are we gonna do?

And she looks at me and she goes,

"Well, Jesse, what can you do?"

And I looked at her and I said, "Well, Paula,

I have been taking aerobics."

This is a sport of death and honor.

I can do a David Gray aerobics workout, and it's hard.

- On, on, down, down. -"It's great.

You do your aerobics stuff and we'll dance around you."

[Voice Message] And leave your message.

Great.

That's the ticket. No pain, no gain.

[Narrator] Meanwhile, back on set,

"The Running Man," continued to diverge

from Stephen King's novel.

We needed something cool.

We invented the rocket sled that shot him into the zone.

Go! [explosion booming]

[Narrator] Opening the door to an unlikely bit

of corporate synergy.

- All systems go. - I was still manufacturing wheelchairs.

My company made the rocket sled.

I said, "We can do this, " you know,

"Obviously, for much less," you know? [laughs]

[Narrator] While George was living his dream,

Paul Michael Glaser was in anything but.

Paul was tragically going through

lots of stuff in his own personal life.

In those days, in '87, people were getting AIDS

through blood transfusions in hospitals,

affecting his wife and newborn child.

It is unthinkable to come to work every day.

It's unthinkable.

You know your wife and young child are dying.

[Narrator] It was something that would only come out

long after production wrapped.

We didn't know till a long time after.

[Narrator] No need for director number six,

as Glaser somehow rose above and delivered.

Paul was such a sweet guy.

I can't imagine, if he was that nice and that focused

and efficient, when he had that going on,

I have a lot of respect for that man.

Paul's one of those guys that pats you on the back.

I mean, he brought out the best in me.

He was very decisive. He was very fast.

He could walk into a room and right away, you know,

like "The Terminator," you know, sort of know,

where do you want the lights, where do you want the camera?

[Narrator] With filming complete,

"The Running Man," would move into post-production

without Rob Cohen.

I don't know, it started to get tense

and I don't know why.

I still to this day don't know why.

[Narrator] Well, one theory.

Andy Davis was fired without my approval.

- Regardless. - Rob Cohen's contract

with Barish's company was up.

He was gone.

[Narrator] Rob had been knocked out of production.

But even though filming had wrapped,

Arnold was already gearing up for round two.

When I finished up, Arnold came over to my trailer.

He goes, "Don't plan anything,

because they're missing so much,

they're gonna have to bring you back."

- [Narrator] In other words-- - You'll be back.

[Narrator] Paul Michael Glaser would wrap out of the film.

In his place? Keith Barish.

And we go to the editing room.

When I saw the first cut, I went, "Oh my God,

what do we got here?"

This is the craziest thing I've ever seen.

[Narrator] "The Running Man," was checking a lot of boxes,

perhaps too many.

- It's action. - [flames whooshing]

- It's serious. - I worry about the kids.

It's political.

People like you took this country, turned it into a jail.

It leans in toward much more violent,

then it's almost cartoonish. [net gun banging]

I mean, Arnold's in a yellow spandex.

And you couldn't take that seriously, could you?

[Narrator] What did need to be taken seriously--

The film was a challenge to cut together.

None of the action cuts together.

Oi! [laughs]

That's a Latin word for, "What happened?"

[Narrator] There was only one person Keith could turn to

for help.

- Help, Arnold. - [♪ intense music]

[Narrator] In "The Running Man,"

Ben Richards had to scramble to stay alive.

But in editing, it was Keith Barish

who was struggling to keep his head above water.

It was bad directing.

[Narrator] It appeared director number five,

Paul Michael Glaser,

wasn't the savior Rob Cohen made him out to be.

None of this stuff cuts together.

There are serious problems with the dailies.

[Narrator] The issue of connecting separate action scenes

had been around since Andy Davis was in charge,

and had not been resolved.

Footage we had, there was kind of only

so much you could really do.

I had the idea

that we'll get Arnold back for some re-shoots.

[Narrator] And while Keith was blindsided

in the editing bay,

one person called it long before Starsky shouted, "Wrap!"

"You'll be back." And he was right.

[Narrator] The problem, as The Body sees it,

perhaps this outfit.

No, they can dress you up however they want you.

They had so many holes in that film.

[Narrator] As for how to fill the gaps?

When the action doesn't cut together,

we'll cut to Arnold running.

Hey, light head!

We're having Steven de Souza, the writer,

come up with lines for Arnold.

- Hey, Christmas tree. - You know?

An Arnold funny line.

One of the lines that was late in the movie is,

"What happened to Buzzsaw?"

[saw roaring]

[Buzzsaw screams]

- Uh, he had to split. - But Taft-Barish

wasn't out of the woods yet.

As Arnold was about to go to war

at the box office with himself?

[Dutch screams]

Both films were heading to the box office at the same time.

I don't think it was the same day,

but it was pretty close.

[Narrator] As a result, Arnold asked Tri-Star

to delay "The Running Man."

You could look at it two ways.

One is, Arnold didn't have as much faith

in "The Running Man," as he did in "Predator."

And the other thing is, coming off a hit like "Predator,"

would be good for "The Running Man."

And so whichever way you wanna believe it,

the good story or the bad story.

[Narrator] And while Tri-Star did delay the Running Man--

Right after "Predator."

One in the summer and one in November.

[Narrator] "The Running Man," was released

in November of 1987,

pulling in $38 million

against its final adjusted budget of $27 million.

It was not what I had hoped.

I mean, we thought for sure

it was gonna gross over 100 million.

It was a bit campy and over the top.

[Narrator] And while the campy tone wasn't for everyone,

over time, "The Running Man"

has been embraced as a classic.

- Kind of a joyous romp. - Cheesy elements, you know?

Break your neck like a chicken.

It was actually kind of brilliant.

Oh, it's goofy. It's cheesy.

I think the campy worked. I mean, it's a fun movie.

Exploding hockey pucks and chainsaw fights

and, you know, all that stuff we studied at Harvard.

[Narrator] As for the man who would be King--

I think he probably is unhappy

with the liberties we took with the book.

But as I said, I didn't wake up and say,

"I need to unravel the sweater Stephen King knitted."

[Narrator] A fair justification.

On the other hand, that Stephen King guy,

he's a pretty good writer.

We thought they should have stuck with the book

and our screenplay.

[Narrator] But rather than a kick to the...

It launched our career.

Based on our version of "The Running Man," our script,

we were hired to do "Bloodsport."

[Narrator] George Linder continued to be

a successful businessman.

After the movie,

then I had to get back to my wheelchair factory.

[Narrator] Who occasionally returned to producing.

Yeah, I'm happy about it. I'm glad it happened.

And sometimes you're just in, you know,

the right place at the right time,

and things just come together.

So I feel blessed and fortunate.

[Narrator] By the late '80s,

while Arnold's career was taking off,

a Schwarzenegger film had yet to hit

the hundred million dollar mark.

Something Stallone had done six times.

How can I outdo myself?

How can I outdo my movies that I've done in the past?

[Narrator] If "The Running Man," proved anything, it's--

The humor that plays throughout the film

really makes it work.

[Narrator] Arnold is pretty funny.

In that kind of semi-comedic role.

- It's the humor. - That guy has

a tremendous sense of humor.

[Narrator] Sure, Arnold could deliver a punchline

between punching guys.

I eat Green Berets for breakfast.

And right now, I'm very hungry.

[Narrator] But could he actually carry--

A straight comedy.

[Narrator] Arnold wanted to find out.

If this is really what people enjoy.

- Only-- - The studio did not wanna do

a comedy with Arnold.

[Narrator] Needless to say,

going up against Arnold Schwarzenegger

is a tough day at the office.

You don't know what kind of an enemy I am.

Who are you?

I'm Vincent's brother.

We're twins.

[♪ dramatic music]

[♪ upbeat music]