The Running Man director explains why the new movie imagines Arnold Schwarzenegger as president and how a different film inspired the nod. The Running Man is back on the big screen with a new dystopian twist. This time around, Edgar Wright’s recent 2025 revival adapts Stephen King’s novel more closely than the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film, following Ben Richards, a desperate father who enters a deadly televised game show to win money for his sick daughter. Contestants, known as Runners, have to survive thirty days while hunters and even regular citizens chase them for cash rewards, all broadcast as the most popular show in a corporate-ruled future America. The remake also finds a playful way to tip its hat to the star who made the original a cult favorite. Rather than bringing Schwarzenegger back as Ben Richards, the film imagines an alternate 2025 where the rules have changed and foreign-born citizens can run for president. In that timeline, the former governor of California has become President Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his face pops up on a one-hundred-dollar bill during a Running Man prize segment, a quick gag that doubles as a franchise Easter egg. Speaking to CinemaBlend, Wright explained the choice and shouted out another sci-fi classic. Edgar Wright Talks President Schwarzenegger in The Running Man Wright tells the outlet, “We decided that in slightly alternate 2025 is that they change the rules, and people not born in the United States can run for president. So, the governor of California eventually became the president and in our version of events, he’s Arnold. He’s not Ben Richards, he’s Arnold Schwarzenegger, the president.” He later added, “I have to give credit to Daniel Waters, the great writer who wrote Demolition Man because he made that joke first in Demolition Man. They make a brief mention of President Schwarzenegger. So, I wanted to continue that joke.” Front and center this time is Glen Powell as Ben Richards, joined by an ensemble that includes Josh Brolin as ruthless producer Dan Killian, Colman Domingo as slick host Bobby Thompson, Lee Pace as masked hunter Evan McCone, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, and William H Macy. The Running Man premiered in early November and opened in United States theaters on November 14, where it is currently playing exclusively on the big screen before an eventual move to digital and Paramount+.
https://bleedingcool.com/movies/running-man-revival-director-explains-his-arnold-schwarzenegger-gag/
Tag: schwarzenegger
Voters Give Gavin Newsom Green Light To Gerrymander California
California voters handed Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom a major win on Tuesday evening by approving his partisan gerrymandering proposal to create more Democratic-friendly House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
With 26% of the vote counted, the “yes” campaign was leading the “no” campaign 62.3% to 37.7%, according to the Associated Press.
Newsom, who will be term-limited out of office next year, framed Proposition 50—also known as the “Election Rigging Response Act”—as a stinging rebuke to former President Donald Trump. The ballot measure’s passage likely cements Newsom’s status as an early frontrunner in the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential primary contest.
The Democratic governor led a months-long push, beginning in August, to redraw the state’s congressional maps following Texas’ decision over the summer to undergo partisan redistricting aimed at gaining as many as five new Republican seats. Trump had urged red states to redraw their maps to benefit Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
Republicans fiercely opposed the California ballot measure, calling it a partisan power grab that disproportionately impacts conservative and rural areas of the state—regions that could soon be represented by Democrats for the first time in decades.
Democrats vastly outspent Republicans in this special election after recent polling showed the ballot measure was expected to pass. Democrats spent nearly $100 million on advertisements, with help from progressive megadonor George Soros and Netflix chairman Reed Hastings.
Republicans, conversely, poured roughly $40 million into efforts to defeat Newsom’s gerrymandering push. Charles Munger Jr., a prominent Republican donor and heir to a massive Berkshire Hathaway fortune, contributed $30 million alone to the anti-Prop 50 campaign.
Though former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke out against Proposition 50, he did not actively campaign across the state to defeat the gerrymander. Schwarzenegger had previously supported an independent redistricting commission in 2010, which voters approved.
The ballot measure asks voters whether the state should suspend its independent redistricting commission in order to implement new maps that heavily favor Democrats through 2030.
Currently, Republicans hold just nine out of California’s 52 House seats—approximately 17%. The passage of Prop 50 could reduce the Republican presence to just four districts, or 8% of the state’s total seats.
Republican lawmakers who could face difficult reelection bids due to Prop 50’s passage include Representatives Kevin Kiley, Ken Calvert, and Doug LaMalfa, whose districts will likely become safe Democratic seats. Republican Representative Darrell Issa’s San Diego district will also become more competitive for Democrats, though the wealthy congressman could self-fund a campaign to fend off challengers.
Republican Representative David Valadao’s purple district in the state’s Central Valley is also expected to shift a few shades bluer following Prop 50’s passage.
A majority of public comments submitted to the California State Assembly’s Committee expressed concern. One comment stated, “We have an independent redistricting commission. Why would you take away what we voted for? If you do, I’ll never vote Democratic again.”
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https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/04/california-proposition-50-passes-gavin-newsom/
Madrid Will Pay For Woody Allen’s Next Movie If He Uses ‘Madrid’ In Title
Make fun of Jimmy Fallon all you want for his sponsored content. The late-night host is always doing segments like “Jimmy Tells a Scary Campfire Story Sponsored By KitchenAid” and “Pup Quiz with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Partnership with State Farm.” At least he hasn’t gone so far as to rename his show *The Bass Pro Shop Tonight Show*. Not yet, anyway.
You can’t say the same for Woody Allen.
The 89-year-old director has had a tough time securing funding for his films in recent years—“89 years old” being one of the least objectionable reasons investors shy away. But finally, Woody got a bite. Madrid’s regional government has agreed to pony up $1.7 million for his next project. Not a huge sum, but every bit helps.
The catch? Woody must film the movie in the Spanish capital, which shouldn’t be a problem. Madrid is a pretty good-looking city! According to a document posted by the regional government (via Deadline), “The advertising and promotion of destinations through film has been a branding tool throughout the history of cinema.”
But Madrid’s deal with Allen comes with some interesting strings attached. Not only must he feature the city prominently in the film’s backdrops—something practically a Woody Allen trademark anyway—but he also needs to include the word “Madrid” in the movie’s title.
Madrid Max? Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madrid-ness? *Madrid Madrid Madrid Madrid World*? Whatever the title ends up being, Allen still needs to raise more money before production can begin, and that’s never an easy feat.
“If you are a writer at home and you fail, you throw the paper away and you start over,” Allen said recently on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast. “If you are a filmmaker, you have to constantly raise 15, 20, 30 million dollars or something. And so it gets dicey.”
Thankfully, Allen has plenty of ideas if someone is willing to back him. “If someone shows up and calls in and says we want to back the film, then I would seriously consider it,” he told *The Guardian* in 2023. “I would probably not have the willpower to say no, because I have so many ideas.”
Since Allen has become a borderline pariah in his home country, he’s been relying on places like Spain to provide a filmmaking home. He’s already filmed *Vicky Cristina Barcelona* (2008) and *Rifkin’s Festival* (2020) there.
Rumor has it he might reunite with *Vicky Cristina Barcelona* co-stars Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz for this Madrid-set movie—on the condition he can figure out how to work “Madrid” into the title. If he gets stuck, maybe he can give Jimmy Fallon a call for some Entertainment Advice, Sponsored by Instacart.
https://www.cracked.com/article_48982_madrid-will-pay-for-woody-allens-next-movie-if-he-uses-madrid-in-title.html?newsletter-cat=movies-tv
Chris Pratt, Katherine Schwarzenegger’s Son Is Growing Fast in New Pic
**Hasta la vista, baby. bottles!**
That’s because Arnold Schwarzenegger’s kids—Katherine Schwarzenegger, Christina Schwarzenegger, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Chris Schwarzenegger (with ex-wife Maria Shriver), and Joseph Baena (with former housekeeper Mildred Baena)—are all grown up. These days, his favorite title is no longer just dad but grandpa to Katherine and husband Chris Pratt’s three kids together: Lyla, Eloise, and Ford.
“It’s the easiest thing to be a grandfather,” Arnold told Jimmy Kimmel in 2022. “They come over to the house, you play with Lyla for around an hour or two, put her on the horse, put her with the dog. And after two hours, they leave.”
Maria married Arnold in 1986 but filed for divorce in 2011 after she learned he had fathered a child through his affair. Her son-in-law Chris Pratt applauds the way the former first lady of California and her ex co-parented in the spotlight.
“She and Arnold raised four amazing kids, and that’s not always an easy thing to do,” the *Guardians of the Galaxy* actor told *Today* in May 2024. “You see people in Hollywood or people who’ve got a lot of privilege, and they end up kind of raising rotten kids. So I just want to kind of ask her everything. ‘What’d you do? How did you not spoil them? How did you not ruin them?’”
The apparent secret, Chris added, “I think she holds them accountable. When Maria walks in the room, you stand up. She’s big on manners, and she’s big on accountability, and she’s deeply rooted in her faith. These are all things that I definitely want to take and implement in the rearing of our children.”
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### Patrick Schwarzenegger: The Oldest Son
Born in 1993, Patrick is the oldest son of Arnold and Maria. While having parents in the business is a great start, he credits his brother-in-law Chris Pratt with helping him land one plum role.
“I remember when Chris said, ‘Hey, you know there’s this young role, Donny Mitchell, you’ll be the youngest in the platoon,’” Patrick told Jimmy Kimmel in 2022 about booking a gig in the Amazon Prime Video series *The Terminal List*.
“‘But if you want to get this role, I need you to go and try to get into character and really get this. I need you to gain 20 pounds and start tactical training, and know how they move, the body language, all this stuff.’”
Having the chance to train with real-life Navy SEALs, he added, was “a dream come true.”
More pinch-me moments have followed, with Patrick going on to play Saxon Ratliff on *The White Lotus* and Tim Tebow in FX’s *American Sports Story*.
But even with all his connections, Patrick makes it clear he puts in the hard work.
“I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is,” Patrick told *The Sunday Times* in February 2025 about his part on *The White Lotus*. “They’re not seeing that I’ve had 10 years of acting classes, put on school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end or the hundreds of rejected auditions I’ve been on.”
Soon, he’ll be taking on a new role: husband. He proposed to model Abby Champion in December 2023.
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### Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt’s Growing Family
Katherine is the eldest of the Schwarzenegger kids, born in 1989 to Arnold and Maria. Now, the author of *The Gift of Forgiveness* has a family of her own with Chris Pratt, whom she married in 2019 after a year of dating.
In 2020, they welcomed daughter Lyla. Little sister Eloise was born two years later, followed by younger brother Ford in 2024.
“When I became a mother, I felt like everything in my life had led me right to that baby being put on my chest, and it was perfect,” Katherine wrote in a piece for her mother Maria’s website. “Mom is the title I have always wanted and the role that I have looked forward to for as long as I can remember.”
Plus, she has a bonus stepson, Jack, whom Chris and ex-wife Anna Faris welcomed in 2012.
For Chris, family always comes first. However, he was upset when he received backlash in 2021 after praising Katherine on Instagram for giving him a “gorgeous healthy daughter,” with some social media users finding the post insensitive to Anna and Jack, who was born premature.
“A bunch of articles came out and said, ‘That’s so cringeworthy. I can’t believe Chris Pratt would thank her for a healthy daughter when his first child was born premature. That’s such a dig at his ex-wife,’” the *Parks and Recreation* alum told *Men’s Health* in 2022.
“And I’m like, That is f–ked up. My son’s gonna read that one day. He’s 9. And it’s etched in digital stone. It really f–king bothered me, dude. I cried about it. I was like, I hate that these blessings in my life are—to the people close to me—a real burden.”
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### Jack Pratt’s Early Challenges and Teenage Years
Anna and Chris’ son Jack was born about two months early in August 2012 and spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“The day came when I got to take Jack home,” Anna recalled at a 2021 event for the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth, “and the first years were filled with doctor’s appointments, five surgeries, physical therapy, a lot of laughter—because Jack was and is the most adorable, cutest thing I could ever have imagined.”
Now, Jack is navigating his teenage years. However, he isn’t too old to ask his mom and dad for advice.
“I think as parents, we’re always questioning, ‘What are we doing? Are we giving good guidance? Are we raising kids with a good foundation?’” Anna explained to *E!* in March 2025.
So when Jack turns to her for help, “Those indicators make me feel like, ‘Okay, I’m on the right path here,’” she continued. “And I’m really proud of him.”
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### Sibling Dynamics and Family Life
A little more than a year after Katherine and Chris tied the knot, they welcomed daughter Lyla Maria Schwarzenegger Pratt in August 2020—her middle name a nod to Katherine’s mother.
While Chris keeps much of his family life private, he shared that Jack was already acing his duties as the older sibling.
“He’s really great with her,” the *Jurassic World* star told *Entertainment Tonight* in 2021. “She always wants to pull his glasses off his face, and he’s very patient with her. He’s a great big brother.”
Fast-forward to March 2022, when Chris and Katherine grew their family with the addition of daughter Eloise Christina Schwarzenegger Pratt.
“I’m girl dad 2.0,” the *Zero Dark Thirty* actor told *E!* in June 2022. “My oldest daughter is adjusting very well to being a big sister. At first, she was kinda like, ‘So, what’s the deal with that thing? What up with that? Look at me.’ And now, she’s very much embraced the idea. She constantly wants to hold her sister, and she’s just very, very sweet. That’s the stuff that’s important. It’s the stuff that life is made of, and I feel incredibly blessed and filled with joy.”
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### Christopher and Christina Schwarzenegger
Christopher Schwarzenegger, born in 1997, is Arnold and Maria’s youngest son. He has stayed largely out of the public eye and is Vice Chair of the Special Olympics Founder’s Council.
According to his bio, Christopher is also the Director of Development at production company Indus Valley Media. He previously worked at creative content agency Malka and for sports psychologist Trevor Moawad. Christopher is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in psychology.
Christina Schwarzenegger, born in 1991, is their youngest daughter. She is an executive producer, with past credits including the 2018 documentary *Take Your Pills* and its 2022 follow-up *Take Your Pills: Xanax*.
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### Joseph Baena: Arnold’s Son from an Affair
Joseph is Arnold’s son from his affair with then-housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena. Born in 1997, Arnold didn’t learn he was Joseph’s father until much later.
“I had an affair in ’96,” *The Terminator* alum said in his 2023 docuseries *Arnold*. “In the beginning, I really didn’t know. I just started kind of feeling. The older he got, the more it became clear to me, and it was then just really a matter of how do you keep this quiet? How do you keep this a secret?”
Arnold called the affair a “major failure” in his life but noted that Joseph makes him proud.
“It was wrong what I did,” he said in the doc. “But I don’t want to make Joseph feel that he’s not welcome in this world because he’s very much welcome in this world. And I love him, and he’s turned out to be an extraordinary young man.”
Like his dad Arnold, Joseph is an actor with a passion for fitness. He also works in real estate and competed on season 31 of *Dancing With the Stars*.
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### Chris Pratt and Anna Faris: Marriage and Beyond
Chris and Anna tied the knot in 2009 but announced their breakup after eight years of marriage. Anna (previously married to Ben Indra) hinted that her life with Chris wasn’t as picture-perfect as it seemed.
“I’m sure things were more transparent with my relationship with Ben,” she said on a 2021 episode of her podcast *Unqualified*, “but with Chris, I think that we both protected that imagery even within our close circles.”
Anna—who is now married to cinematographer Michael Barrett and is stepmom to his two kids—suggested being in the same industry as her exes didn’t help.
“My two other marriages were with actors, and I don’t think we did a great job of eliminating competitiveness—or at least I didn’t,” she shared on another episode of her podcast later that year.
“Being a proud person and not wanting to reveal vulnerability, any hints of competitiveness and comparison, I didn’t handle that very well, I don’t think, and I hope I’ve grown from that.”
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Arnold Schwarzenegger’s family story is one of growth, accountability, and navigating both the blessings and challenges of fame and relationships. As his children continue to carve their own paths, the family remains deeply interconnected, with love and resilience at its core.
https://www.eonline.com/news/1424335/chris-pratt-katherine-schwarzeneggers-son-ford-in-rare-photo?cmpid=rss-syndicate-genericrss-us-top_stories