We’re still about eight months away from seeingEdgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King’sThe Running Man, and to say anticipations are high would be an understatement. The original 1987 film with Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered a classic today, so the director has a tough task ahead of him to please fans of that movie, while at the same time appeasing King aficionados. He’s at least halfway there thanks to his leading man,Glen Powell, whom Wright says he cast for a very specific reason.
Speaking with Empire about all thingsThe Running Man, Wright – who became famous thanks to his Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy – said his decision to cast Powell as Ben Richards was to give his movie a bit more authenticity. If he had cast a big action star like Jason Statham or Tom Cruise, there would be a certain level of expectation from the audience due to their past work. With Powell, all bets are off because it’s a role unlike any other we’ve seen him in before, which — in a way — makes him more relatable:
“I felt it was important to see somebody who hadn’t really done something like this before. It’s similar to Bruce Willis, when he was still the guy from Moonlighting, before he did Die Hard, where that adds to the suspense. Can they make it?”
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Based on the 1982 novel by King,The Running Manalso stars Katy O’Brian, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, and William H. Macy, to name a few. Set in a dystopian future, the film’s premise is simple: a sadistic game show has contestants doing their best to survive as murderous Hunters try and track them down and kill them before 30 days is up. Though the 1987 original had Schwarzenegger framed for partaking in a massacre he wanted no part of, Wright’s versionwill adhere closer to the source material, and see Powell portray Richards as the desperate father he was in the book:
“Set in an oppressive future where the government controls the media, Ben Richards volunteers to participate in a deadly game show, which will see him hunted by professional killers over 30 days. Should he survive, he’ll win a cash prize that will help save his sick child and lift his family out of a horrid living situation.”
Once again taking his cues from the book, Wright’s version ofThe Running Manwon’t be confined to a specific section of Los Angeles like the Schwarzenegger classic was. Instead, Richards will have the ability to go anywhere in the world to try and outrun the Hunters on his tail, and fortheLast Night in Sohodirector, he said it gives the movie more of a “road trip” feel:
“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. 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.”
Look forThe Running Manto open nationwide on Jun 26, 2025, and if you’re in the mood to watch the 1987 original, it’s available to stream on AMC+.
Source:Empire
The Running Man
