Glen Powell, action star? The actor arguably already made a foray into the genre in 2013’s “The Expendables 3” and 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” but this time, he’ll be the leading man and not in a supporting role. The news came out of CinemaCon today that Powell will star in Edgar Wright’s upcoming remake of “The Running Man” at Paramount. Yes, you read that right: Arnold Schwarzenegger did it first in 1987; now, let’s see if Powell will do it better.
Powell’s casting is less of an eyebrow-raiser once one remembers that “The Running Man” is one of horror novelist Stephen King‘s Richard Bachman books. King’s pseudonymous 1982 novel is darker and more serious than Paul Michael Glaser‘s adaptation five years later, so Wright could helm a version of this story that’s less silly ’80s actioner, more sinister chase thriller. For those unfamiliar with the book or film, “The Running Man” takes place in a dystopian future American where Ben Richards participates in a violent reality show to collect prize money that coul save his sick daughter. The show’s premise? Richards must survive against a pack of trained killers all sent to hunt him down before a time limit runs out.
King’s Bachman novel is more sprawling, less jokey, and altogether more downbeat than Glaser’s film. But it also ends with a (spoiler alert) plane crashing into a skyscraper, a climax similar enough to recent events in American history that it could force Wright to revise the ending. But given that it’s Wright in the director’s chair expect him to put his singular imprint on his adaptation anyway. This reboot could go a more lighthearted route like Wright’s earlier movies or for something more like his previous film, “Last Night In Soho.” It’ll be interesting to see what direction Wright takes.
What else do we know about “The Running Man” so far? Not much, except that Wright will produce the picture alongside his usual partners, Nira Park and Simon Kinberg.
“The Running Man” is the latest future project for Powell, an actor on his way to becoming an A-lister. He recently starred alongside Sydney Sweeney in the rom-com “Anyone But You,” which ended up being a late 2023 box-office winner. Up next for Powell? Richard Linklater‘s “Hit Man,” which the actor co-wrote and co-produced with his fellow Texan. That film hits theaters on May 24 and Netflix on June 7. And Powell also stars in Universal‘s sequel action thriller “Twisters” this summer with Daisy Edgar-Jones. That film bows in theaters on July 19, 2024.
Whatever stylistic direction Wright decides to take with “The Running Man,” he and Glen Powell make an intriguing tandem for this remake. Let’s hope for Powell’s sake, Wright sticks close to the original Bachman/King source material; it’d be fun to see the actor take on a dark role.