Summary
- Edgar Wright is remaking Stephen King’s
The Running Man
with Glen Powell cast in the lead role of Ben Richards. -
The Running Man
remake was officially confirmed back in 2021, with Edgar Wright attached as director. - The film may stick closely to King’s novel, showcasing the biting satire about 1980s culture in a modern setting.
Multi-talented director Edgar Wright is remaking Stephen King’s The Running Man, and there are already exciting updates about the project. Originally written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, King’s The Running Man is set in a dystopian future where a cop is falsely imprisoned and must compete in a deadly game show to secure his freedom. The novel served as a precursor to later popular fiction like Battle Royal and The Hunger Games and is generally considered one of King’s more underappreciated minor works.
Naturally, Hollywood came calling to adapt the book in 1987 and screen icon Arnold Schwarzenegger was tapped to play the lead role of Ben Richards. Stephen King wasn’t too fond of the adaptation, and the movie received mixed reviews along with a mildly disappointing box office performance (via Box Office Mojo). However, modern reassessments of the film have been more positive, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World director Edgar Wright has specifically mentioned The Running Man as the film he would most like to remake. After years of silence, the project is moving forward.
Related
Why The Running Man Is The WEIRDEST Stephen King Adaptation
The Running Man is the weirdest Stephen King adaptation, with lots of Arnold Schwarzenegger quips, and different from the bleak Richard Bachman novel.
The Running Man Remake Latest News
Filming Will Start In Fall 2024
In an interview with IndieWire for Twisters, Glen Powell revealed that filming on The Running Man will start sometime this fall – and that he will be working that around his own studies. The actor is returning to the University of Texas to finish his degree at the same time, and spoke about how he will be balancing this with filming:
I’m not going to be sitting in a class with other students on the regular. I’m basically going to be coming back because I have to finish up, but I’m going to be shooting The Running Man in the fall. So I’m going to be in London, but I am going to be going back for proctored exams. So, they’re letting me figure it out [with] distance learning. And I’m obviously going to be coming in, Zooming in for classes and whatnot, but I have to be back for the proctored exams. So, we’re figuring that out for two or three times a semester, I’ll come back for all my stuff. Edgar has been very nice about letting me finish my degree in the middle of his massive movie.
This also reveals that he is going to be shooting at least some of the movie in London, although the original is set in a dystopian United States, so presumably, this is where the studio shoots are going to be taking place, rather than location-based scenes.
The Running Man Remake Is Confirmed
Edgar Wright Is Directing The Remake
Paramount Pictures originally announced that there was a remake in the works in 2021, but it was slow going to get the project off the ground. Edgar Wright was attached to direct from the start, and had originally hinted at wanting to tackle the project as far back at 2017, with a tweet saying that it was something he would love to work on. It has also been announced that Wright will be teaming up with Michael Bacall as screenwriter – not the first time that the two have worked together, as the duo were behind 2010’s Scott Pilgrim Vs The World.
However, it was not until April 2024 that the lead was announced, and the project really started to gain momentum. Now that filming has a start date set, it is likely that the remake will be aiming for a 2025 release – not least because the original Stephen King novel is set in 2025.
Stream
The Running Man
on AMC+, Pluto TV, and Showtime.
The Running Man Remake Cast
Glen Powell Will Star In The Stephen King Remake
So far, the only name attached to the cast of The Running Man is Glen Powell. The announcement of Powell’s casting came at CinemaCon in April 2024, and he will star in the lead role of Ben Richards that was previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though the cast list is rather scant now, the addition of Powell likely means other cast members will be added soon, and it will likely be a star-studded affair if Edgar Wright’s previous works are any indication.
The Running Man Remake Story
A Falsely Accused Man Competes On A Deadly Game Show
Though the format of Stephen King’s story is familiar in the 21st century, he was actually at the forefront of the genre when he wrote The Running Man. If the film sticks to the novel closely, it will see police officer Ben Richards accused of a crime he didn’t commit and forced to compete on a deadly televised game show to win his freedom. The most important aspect of King’s story is its biting satire about 1980s culture, and Edgar Wright is the perfect choice to bring the themes into the modern day.
The Running Man
Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, The Running Man is a sci-fi action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Ben Richards, a former cop who’s forced to compete in a deadly game show where criminals fight for their lives. The 1987 movie is based on a Stephen King novel under his pen name Richard Bachman.
- Director
- Paul Michael Glaser
- Release Date
- November 13, 1987
- Writers
- Steven E. de Souza
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Budget
- $27 million