The Running Man

Ben Richards, a blue-collar worker, lives in the Co-Op City slums with his family. With his infant daughter Cathy sick and healthcare scarce, he is blacklisted for union activism but tries out for the Network anyway. He agrees to participate after being promised a cash advance, a safe house for Cathy, and a chance to expose the Network’s regime.

Ben is selected for The Running Man along with Tim Jansky and Jenni Laughlin. Executive producer Dan Killian offers him the advance and security for his family, persuading him to join despite the peril. He accepts, hoping the prize will save Cathy.

With a 12-hour head start, Ben travels to New York City in disguise to begin his run. The Network cameras track his every move as hunters close in on him. Early in the chase, Tim Jansky is killed by the hunters.

In Boston, the hunting party corners Ben at a hostel and a firefight erupts. The fighting ends with an explosion that kills eight Network soldiers and disrupts the pursuit. Ben escapes and hides, continuing to stay alive on live television.

Ben is sheltered by anti-Network activist Bradley Throckmorton and his family. He records a message to expose the Network’s propaganda, but the message is mutated into a foul-mouthed deepfake. Bradley’s mother throws Ben out after seeing the falsified broadcast.

Runner Jenni Laughlin is killed, leaving Ben as the sole contestant. His survival earns the sympathy and support of the poor and working classes who root for him against the Network. The momentum builds around his resistance.

Bradley dispatches Ben to Derry, Maine to meet activist Elton Parrakis, who plans to lead Ben to a bunker for the remainder of his run. The goal is to keep Ben out of the Network’s reach while he continues the fight. The two set off toward the shelter.

In Derry, Elton pushes a plan that relies on booby traps to ambush pursuers. Ben tries to stop Elton’s mother from alerting authorities, but Elton proceeds and the traps engage, creating a deadly obstacle course. They flee together in a buggy filled with explosives.

McCone kills Elton during the escape, and Ben crashes the buggy into another Hunter on a bridge, plunging into the river to escape. He survives and continues his northward trek, more determined than ever. The chase shifts toward the northern frontiers.

Ben discovers that land development has paved over the bunker, forcing him to improvise. After escaping surveillance drones, he hijacks a passing car and takes Amelia Williams hostage. Amelia, initially a bystander, realizes the Network’s deceit and agrees to help him.

Ben and Amelia reach an airfield and take off in a jet toward Canada, guarded by McCone. They hope to outrun the Network and reveal the truth on a larger stage. The pursuit remains intense as they speed away from the United States.

Killian calls to offer Ben his own show on the Network if he eliminates McCone and the remaining hunters. He threatens to broadcast footage of Sheila and Cathy’s murders to coerce compliance. The manipulation hardens Ben’s resolve to fight back.

Ben kills the hunters posing as the flight crew, while McCone is revealed as a former runner who accepted Killian’s deal. Ben defeats McCone and sends Amelia to safety with a parachute and Elton’s revolutionary pamphlets. The victory marks a turning point in the rebellion.

Killian demands a new live-show and orders the jet toward Network headquarters. A deepfake of Ben threatens to crash into the building, prompting the plane to be shot down. The Network’s attempt to crush the rebellion backfires spectacularly.

Amelia recovers the plane’s black box and leaks uncensored recordings, turning public opinion against the Network. Ben, surviving the crash thanks to the auto-eject system, becomes the face of the revolution and reunites with his family, who were supposedly dead. The next season begins with riots as Ben shoots Killian in a climactic confrontation.