Edgar Wright’s The Running Man Will Be ‘A Very Intense, Dangerous Road Movie’, He Teases

It’s been a good few years now since Edgar Wright delivered the double-whammy of Last Night In Soho and The Sparks Brothers. And just as his career post-Cornetto Trilogy has seen him move between various genres – from heist thriller, to ‘60s-set psychological horror, to music docs – his next step is another new move for him: adapting a Stephen King novel. Or, a ‘Richard Bachman’ novel, since The Running Man was originally published under that pen-name. While the book was first adapted into an Arnie vehicle back in 1987, Wright’s version will be its own beast – going back to the book, with Glen Powell stepping into the role of contestant Ben Richards.

The premise – sign up to ‘The Running Man’ gameshow, evade the murderous ‘Hunters’, win cash – remains, but as in the original novel, Wright’s film won’t confine the action to a gameshow set. “One of the things about the book that I loved was the fact that Ben Richards is out in the world on his own, so it’s like the deadliest game of hide and seek,” Wright tells Empire in the Thunderbolts* issue. “It does feel like making a road movie in a lot of ways: a very intense, dangerous road movie,” he adds. “Ben is moving through different environments and meeting different people as he tries to survive 30 days out in the wild.”

As for Powell, he’s coming off a hot streak – Anyone But You, Hit Man, Twisters – that saw him become the star of 2024. And Wright is confident you’ll see a new side of him here. “I felt it was important to see somebody who hadn’t really done something like this before,” explains Wright. “It’s similar to Bruce Willis, when he was still the guy from Moonlighting, before he did Die Hard, where that adds to the suspense. Can they make it?” Start warming up now – it’s nearly time to get running.

Read Empire’s report on The Running Man in the Thunderbolts* issue – on sale Thursday 13 March. Pre-order a copy online here. The Running Man comes to UK cinemas from 7 November.