Released in 1987,Arnold Schwarzenegger’sThe Running Manwas largely panned by critics at the time, but over the years it’s become a cult-favorite thanks to its many one-liners and gratuitous violence. Loosely based on theStephen Kingnovel of the same name, the film is set for an update this year starringGlen Powellin the role of Ben Richards, and he recently revealed what Schwarzenegger thinks of him and director Edgar Wright remaking one of his beloved classics.
Speaking with People to promote his new condiment line, Smash Kitchen (yes, really), the subject ofThe Running Mancame up. Set to hit theaters on November 7, this new version promises to be more faithful to the source material than the 1987 flick was, and updates King’s tale for a new generation of moviegoers. Of course, stepping into such an iconic role was a bit daunting for Powell, despite being no stranger to the genre himself after starring in such hits asTwisters,Top Gun: Maverick, andHit Man. As such, he reached out to Schwarzenegger’s son so he could get in contact with the action legend.
“Patrick Schwarzenegger is a great friend of mine and I asked Patrick if I could talk to Arnold and I hadn’t seen Arnold since we shotExpendablesin Bulgaria.”
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Glen Powell stars in the ‘The Running Man’ remake, which is based on the Stephen King novel.
That was back in 2014, so a lot of time has passed since then. Would Schwarzenegger be receptive toPowell and Wright remakingThe Running Man? They didn’t need his permission, of course, but it was still nice of them to touch base with the star over FaceTime to discuss things. The results, Powell said, were more than worth it.
Arnold gave us his full blessing and we get to give Arnold a very specific fun gift from the movie in a couple of weeks here. So I’m very excited to see him.
To highlight the differences between the 1987 filmand Wright’s version, one only has to look at their settings. Schwarzenegger’s movie was confined to an abandoned part of Los Angeles that was divided into four quadrants, while Wright’s film will mimic King’s original vision, which gave Richards the ability to go anywhere in the world to evade the Hunters out to kill him. “One of the things about the book that I loved was the fact that Ben Richards is out in the world on his own, so it’s like the deadliest game of hide-and-seek,” Wright told Empire earlier this month.
“It does feel like making a road movie in a lot of ways: a very intense, dangerous road movie. Ben is moving through different environments and meeting different people as he tries to survive 30 days out in the wild.”
Principal photography onThe Running Manwrapped last week, so now the film will head into post-production so all the bells and whistles can be added to it before the November release. In addition to Powell, look for Josh Brolin, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, and Katy O’Brian to round out the ensemble cast. If you’re in the mood to check out Schwarzenegger’s original before then, it’s available to stream now on Paramount+.
Source:People
The Running Man
