It’s a great year to be a Stephen King fan. On Friday, Oct. 10 at New York Comic Con (NYCC), fans of the legendary author flooded the Empire Stage to hear from director Edgar Wright, Glen Powell, and Lee Pace to learn more about the upcoming adaptation of The Running Man.
The Running Man was first published in 1982 by Stephen King under the pen name Richard Bachman and features the story of Ben Richards, a down-on-his-luck man who enters into a game show where contestants are hunted for 30 days and win $1 billion if they don’t get caught. In 1987, the book got its first adaptation in a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Almost 40 years later, a new movie starring Glen Powell as Richards is headed to theaters.
Edgar Wright, the director of the new Running Man movie, said that he first read the book as a teen and has wanted to make a movie based on the story for years.
“I read (The Running Man) as a teenager, and I read it before I saw the 1987 film,” Wright says. “So when I saw the Arnold Schwarzenegger version, I was very aware that it was very loosely based on the book. I always felt that there was a whole part of the story that just hadn’t been adapted. And that’s my favorite films. So this is not an attempt to remake that film. This is something that’s more faithful to the book. That was what was exciting for me. It was a gift of an email to actually get a project that you’ve actually thought about manifesting itself in your inbox.”
Glen Powell, Edgar Wright, and Lee Pace headed to NYCC to promote The Running Man. | Source: The Pop Insider
Glen Powell, Edgar Wright, and Lee Pace headed to NYCC to promote The Running Man. | Source: The Pop Insider
Glen Powell, Edgar Wright, and Lee Pace headed to NYCC to promote The Running Man. | Source: The Pop Insider
While this movie is separate from the 1987 version, it still pays homage to the OG movie with subtle references, including Schwarzenegger being featured on the $100 bill.
“We called him before we started filming, because he had given us permission to put him on the money, and I told him on the call, I said, ‘Oh, we made you the hundred (dollar bill). He goes, ‘I’m very happy about that.’” Wright says. “He got the highest elimination of the money.”
Powell also talked about some of the key differences between the 1987 and 2025 movies.
“The thing that really works about this movie in particular, compared to the other movie, is that it is obviously very much of the ’80s and stays within the confines of a studio,” Powell says. “The coolest part about this one that I’m just really excited about is that Edgar decided to take this thing out into the real world. The entire world is hunting this guy. There is not just a group of hunters; normal citizens can record and report you, and they can take you out. There’s this ever-present feeling of tension that’s there throughout the entire movie. It’s relentless.”
The Running Man is undoubtedly a thriller, but it also has the comedic charm that Wright’s movies are best known for.
“Tension and comedy are sort of married together in a lot of ways,” Powell says. “So when you have a guy like Edgar Wright who really understands how to marry those moments together, you get a tonal, cinematic feast where you’re simultaneously watching a guy who’s in danger for his life, but also laughing at the circumstances.”
The Running Man hits theaters on Nov. 7. Check out the new trailer below.
