Film news: Edgar Wright teases changes to The Running Man for 2025 remake
With Glen Powell set to head The Running Man remake due for release in November this year, Edgar Wright has revealed he intends to take the film back to its roots.
Given the incredible back catalogue of the actor and director, this is one to get excited about.
Film News Blitz’s Joe Matthews is here to discuss.
What is The Running Man about?
The Running Man was originally a Stephen King novel, published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, that is set in a dystopian future where the media is controlled by the state.
In this world, there is a game show, where contestants sign up to essentially be hunted for 30 days, with any survivors being awarded cash prizes.
Our protagonist Ben Richards signs up so that he can support his sick daughter.
It was in 1987 when a first on-screen adaptation was attempted, with the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the plot saw some sight changes.
Firstly, the contestants were framed criminals who were forced to play, rather than volunteers, and instead of being able to hide all across the country, the 1987 version saw contestants play in a confined area, creating a gladiatorial feel, amongst other changes.
How is it going ‘back to the book’?
In an interview with Empire, Wright said: “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.”
Clearly, the intention is to open back up the confined space and have Powell running all over the country to evade the stalkers (the name for the film’s hunters).
Wright added: “Ben is moving through different environments and meeting different people as he tries to survive 30 days out in the wild.”
Wright also wanted to make it clear he was aware that it would be a not-so-subtle shift in genre for Powell.
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The actor became somewhat of an icon throughout 2023 and 2024, picking up leading roles in some of the year's most anticipated Hollywood flicks such as Hit Man, Anyone But You and another remake, Twisters.
The Director whose previous works include the infamous Cornetto Trilogy of Hot Fuzz, The World’s End and Shaun of the Dead, as well as Baby Driver, Wright compared Powell’s casting to that of Bruce Willis in Die Hard, saying: “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?”
Who else is on the cast list?
Accompanying Powell is a plethora of big names.
Right off the back of his much-deserved Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards, Coleman Domingo is set to return to the screen as Bobby Thompson, who is a part of the TV crew and commentator.
He will be working alongside Josh Brolin, who takes on the role of the TV show host, Damon Killian.
Some other of the confirmed names include, Jayme Lawson, Lee Pace of the Lord of the Rings, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy and Daniel Ezra.
The Running Man is certainly one to look out for as Winter rolls around, with many yet to be convinced of Powell’s credentials, but it will certainly be intriguing how Wright can bring his British humour to such a big production.
The Running Man will sprint into cinemas on November 7.
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