Edgar Wright's The Running Man Remake Will Star Internet Boyfriend And Handsome Man Glen Powell
Handsome man Glen Powell better get his sneakers on, because he's about to become "The Running Man." Powell will star in Edgar Wright's new adaptation of the Stephen King/Richard Bachman novel, as was announced today at CinemaCon, where we have boots on the ground in the form of our own Ryan Scott. Powell will play the lead character Ben Richards, a man living in a dystopian future where people desperate for money participate in a reality game show where they're hunted for sport. He'll also likely spend the movie looking very handsome and being very charming, because that's his whole thing.
Powell stole the show in "Top Gun: Maverick," and was recently seen in the surprisingly delightful rom-com "Anyone But You." Next, he'll appear in the "Twister" follow-up "Twisters" and the Richard Linklater comedy "Hit Man," which is headed to Netflix. Powell has been working for a while now, but he seems to be blowing up in a big way recently. Joining an Edgar Wright-directed movie certainly won't hurt his career, although some may find it strange that he's following in the mighty footsteps of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in the previous film adaptation of "The Running Man."
Running, man!
"The Running Man" is a Stephen King novel, although the book was originally published (in 1982) under King's pseudonym Richard Bachman. According to King, he wrote the entire book in a week, because that's how he rolls. King describes "The Running Man" as "a book written by a young man who was angry, energetic, and infatuated with the art and the craft of writing."
The book was previously adapted into a big action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987, but it's worth noting that the film was a very loose adaptation of the material. It basically kept the main concept and a few character names and jettisoned the rest. The book is more of a paranoid thriller than an action story. It's also much darker than the Arnold movie and, to be blunt, kind of depressing, as is the case with most books penned under the Bachman name. Here's the official synopsis:
It was the ultimate death game in a nightmare future America. The year is 2025 and reality TV has grown to the point where people are willing to wager their lives for a chance at a billion-dollar jackpot. Ben Richards is desperate—he needs money to treat his daughter's illness. His last chance is entering a game show called The Running Man where the goal is to avoid capture by Hunters who are employed to kill him. Surviving this month-long chase is another issue when everyone else on the planet is watching—and willing to turn him in for the reward.Each night all Americans tune in to watch. So far, the record for survival is only eight days. Can Ben Richards beat the brutal odds, beat the rigged game, beat the entire savage system? He's betting his life that he can...
Wright's adaptation, which will be penned by Michael Bacall, will likely hew closer to the book. if it does, it's bound to be a dark movie, folks! But Powell and his shining smile will be there to guide us through the dystopian landscape of the futuristic year 2025! "The Running Man" currently doesn't have a release date in place, but we'll be sure to bring you more info as it comes running in.