The Running Man, starring Glen Powell and directed by Edgar Wright, based on Stephen King’s novel, is opening soon in Philippine cinemas. “I’m definitely fired up about it,” said Powell in a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Glen Powell is Ben Richards in The Running Man
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Ahead of the film’s opening day, read on for reasons not to miss The Running Man, only in cinemas starting November 12.
The Running Man is based on a novel by Stephen King
First published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982, The Running Man is an action-packed thriller set in a then near-future dystopian America (2025!) where the economy is in ruins, violence has become a way of life, and power is held by the very greedy, wealthy few. Just like in the source material, this year’s film adaptation, which King co-executive produces, The Running Man tells the story of Ben Richards (Powell), a working-class father desperate to save his sick daughter and is then forced to join the top-rated show on television – The Running Man, a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. However, Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite – and a threat to the entire system.
Edgar Wright, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay, on the set of The Running Man
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Edgar Wright, whose filmography includes the well-loved Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Shaun of the Dead, and Baby Driver, directed and co-wrote The Running Man movie
As a fan of Stephen King and of the novel itself, Wright made it a mission for his adaptation to be as faithful to the novel as possible. At the recent New York Comic Con, Wright joked that filming a faithful movie adaptation to The Running Man, where main protagonist Ben Richards plays the world’s deadliest game of hide-and-seek, running from city to city to escape his hunters, was exhausting. “But I’m proud of it,” he said. “It’s an expansive movie that was ambitious.” Wright also got the highest stamp of approval he could possibly get as a fan himself – from Stephen King. Shared Wright, “In an email [Stephen King] said, ‘It’s more faithful to the book to keep the fans happy, but different enough to keep me on my toes and excited.’”
Glen Powell is Ben Richards in The Running Man
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Glen Powell leads his first action movie
And how! Ben Richards is a very angry man. But in the hands of Powell, Ben is angry but funny and relatable. In terms of action, Ben learned from quite a roster of action heroes. He was part of the ensemble cast of The Expendables 3, starring alongside Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played Ben Richards himself in the 1987 movie adaptation of The Running Man. And when it comes to action scenes with a lot of running, Powell learned from the best: his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise. During a fun red carpet moment with his Running Man co-stars, Wright and Cruise at Cinema Con in April, Powell said, “I will say that all of my running technique did come straight from Tom.”
Josh Brolin is Dan Killian in The Running Man
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Josh Brolin and his fellow bad guys are villains having a lot of fun
Brolin has famously played a villain before, but in The Running Man, his ruthless Network producer Dan Killian is so charming it’s not surprising that he was able to convince Ben to sign up – though begrudgingly and rather angrily – for the very dangerous Running Man game. And he’s not the only one. As the host and main visual for the Network’s games, Colman Domingo’s Bobby Thompson is the very definition of showmanship. And then there’s Lee Pace’s McCone, the masked muscle, lead hunter and executioner who seems to always be one step ahead of Ben.
Edgar Wright directs Michael Cera in The Running Man
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Michael Cera and William H. Macy play brief but very memorable roles
Their screen times are brief but William H. Macy and Michael Cera (who previously worked with Wright in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) play characters that are essential to Ben Richards’s survival and could potentially be fan favorites.
Katy O’Brian plays one of the Runners in The Running Man
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
A near-future dystopian world that is both fascinating and familiar
In the film, there are fascinating futuristic aspects in the world inhabited by Richards and Killian but it’s all still rooted in today’s reality, making the movie feel familiar, relatable and relevant. The Running Man movie is not set in any specific time in the future, but Wright describes it as retro-futuristic, “a feeling like it’s both in the future and in the ’80s as well, in the spirit of the book.”
Get ready for the hunt to begin when The Running Man opens, only in cinemas, November 12. #RunningManMovie
About The Running Man:
Paramount Pictures Presents
In Association with Domain Entertainment
A Kinberg Genre / Complete Fiction Production
An Edgar Wright Film
“THE RUNNING MAN”
Executive Producers Stephen King, George Linder, James Biddle, Rachael Prior, Audrey Chon,
Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary
Produced by Simon Kinberg, p.g.a. Nira Park, p.g.a. Edgar Wright, p.g.a.
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Screenplay by Michael Bacall and Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright
Directed by Edgar Wright
Cast: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra,
Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Katy O’Brian with Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin
@paramountpicsph
Photo and Video Credit: “Paramount Pictures”
