The Running Man, starring Glen Powell and directed by Edgar Wright and based on Stephen King’s novel, is hitting Philippine cinemas soon. “I’m definitely fired up about it,” Powell shared in a behind-the-scenes featurette.
With the film opening on November 12, here are the reasons you should not miss The Running Man on the big screen.
The film is adapted from Stephen King’s novel first published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982. Set in a near-future dystopian America where the economy has collapsed and violence has become part of daily life, the story centers on Ben Richards, played by Powell. He is a working-class father desperate to save his sick daughter and is forced to join the top-rated television show The Running Man, a deadly competition where “Runners” must survive for 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins. Every moment is broadcast to a bloodthirsty public, and each day brings a larger cash prize. Ben’s determination, skill, and refusal to give up eventually make him an unlikely fan favorite and a threat to the entire system.
The movie is directed and co-written by Edgar Wright, known for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Shaun of the Dead, and Baby Driver. As a longtime fan of King and of the novel itself, Wright set out to create an adaptation that stays true to the book. At New York Comic Con, he joked that filming Ben Richards’ deadly cross-country game of hide-and-seek was exhausting but said he was proud of the result. “It is an expansive movie that was ambitious,” he said. Wright even received an enthusiastic approval from King himself, who wrote to him, “It is more faithful to the book to keep the fans happy, but different enough to keep me on my toes and excited.”
Glen Powell takes the lead in his first full-scale action role, and he delivers. Ben Richards is angry, intense, and determined, yet Powell gives him a humor and relatability that make him compelling to watch. Powell has trained alongside some of the biggest action stars. He appeared in The Expendables 3 with Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played Ben Richards in the 1987 film version. For scenes that required a lot of running, Powell said he learned from his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise, joking at CinemaCon that his running technique came straight from Cruise.
Josh Brolin leads the film’s group of villains as Network producer Dan Killian, a charismatic manipulator who convinces Ben to join the deadly game. Colman Domingo plays show host Bobby Thompson, the face of the Network’s broadcasts, and Lee Pace appears as McCone, the masked hunter whose precision keeps Ben constantly under threat.
The film also features brief but memorable appearances from Michael Cera and William H. Macy. While their screen time is short, their characters play essential roles in Ben Richards’ survival and have the potential to become fan favorites.
All of this unfolds in a near-future dystopian world that feels both imaginative and familiar. The movie blends futuristic elements with retro influences, giving it what Wright describes as a “retro-futuristic” feel, something that exists both in the future and in the spirit of the 1980s.
Get ready for the hunt when The Running Man opens exclusively in cinemas on November 12.
