This November sees Edgar Wright‘s latest effort, “The Running Man” hit the big screen, and during the early press for the film at CinemaCon, it was revealed that star Glen Powell (“Hitman,” “Top Gun: Maverick”) seeked out the blessing from original star Arnold Schwarzenegger as he took on the Ben Richards role in the game of death pic.
Powell spoke with People Magazine, where he revealed that he got in contact with his “Expendables 3” co-star thanks to longtime pal Patrick Schwazenegger (“The White Lotus”) and got Arnold’s “full blessings” to take on the project.
“Arnold gave us his blessing,” Powell revealed to People. “[His son] 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 shot Expendables in Bulgaria.”
“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,” Powell said.
If you’re not familiar, it focuses on a man, Richards, thrust into the satirical world of “The Running Man,” a popular TV game show that pits contestants against seasoned killers referred to as Stalkers/Hunters. Wright’s new version is going to be closer to the original Stephen King novel (the sci-fi take on “The Most Dangerous Game” was published under the pen name Richard Bachman) as Richards is more of an every-man rather than a hulking ex-cop.
“The Running Man” boasts an impressive supporting cast that features Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, Katy O’Brian, William H. Macy, Emilia Jones, and Michael Cera, with a release date set for November 7.
While the exclusive footage showcased at CinemaCon wasn’t released to the public, it has been described as being particularly more gruesome than the 1980s incarnation. With the genre-friendly San Diego Comic-Con on the horizon in July, we likely won’t have to wait too much longer before Paramount Pictures releases new images and an official trailer.
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
