Josh Brolin In Final Talks To Join Edgar Wright’s The Running Man As Lead Villain

As a wise Mad Titan once sort of said, "Dread it, run from it, a new villainous role for Josh Brolin arrives all the same." Or at least, that certainly seems to be the case for the Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame star, who has just become the latest star to board Edgar Wright's upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's dystopian sci-fi classic The Running Man. Per Deadline's reporting, Brolin — who just recently wrapped shooting on Rian Johnson's Knives Out threequel Wake Up Dead Man — is in final talks to take on the lead villain role in Wright's latest feature outing.

Whilst there's no concrete word yet on who exactly Brolin will play in the film, which Wright has co-written with Scott Pilgrim writing partner Michael Bacall, Deadline's sources are suggesting the Sicario actor is set to play the man responsible for the violent reality show Glen Powell's Ben Richards finds himself the unwilling participant in. He joins an increasingly exciting cast that includes the aforementioned Powell, Love Lies Bleeding breakout Katy O'Brian, Karl Glusman, and Daniel Ezra, all of whom will help bring a version of King's book to the screen that is expected to more closely reflect the source than the 80s Arnie adaptation.

A precursor to the likes of The Hunger Games and Battle Royale, The Running Man follows Ben Richards, a falsely convicted cop forced to participate in a grim televised death match to earn his freedom. We don't know just yet exactly what angle Wright is set to take on the iconic story, but with a powerhouse cast being assembled and one of Britain's finest filmmakers at the helm, we have high hopes that this will be more of a Stand By Me than a Lawnmower Man in terms of cinematic takes on Stephen King books. We'll race you to the multiplex when The Running Man hits cinemas on 21 November, 2025.