Glen Powell's Running Man Honors Arnold Schwarzenegger With This Terminator Easter Egg

"The Running Man" is Hollywood's latest attempt to revitalize older IP for a new generation, but this particular movie isn't actually a remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's '80s action classic. Instead, director Edgar Wright has gone right to the source material, adapting Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name (published as Richard Bachman). But that doesn't mean Arnie's presence can't be felt in this non-remake, as Wright and star Glenn Powell made sure to pepper their movie with Schwarzenegger Easter eggs, including the classic "I'll be back" line from Arnie's 1984 breakout sci-fi hit "The Terminator."

Wright and Powell spoke to Empire ahead of the film's arrival, where they revealed that they'd actually FaceTimed Schwarzenegger ahead of production in order to gain his blessing. It seems the Austrian Oak was more than happy to oblige, and Powell set about crafting his own unique take on Ben Richards, the same character Schwarzenegger brought to life back in director Paul Michael Glaser's original film. According to Wright, however, Powell's take on Richards is more of an "everyman," which, given how unique a presence Schwarzenegger represents, isn't too hard to believe. Frankly, anybody looks like an everyman compared to prime-era Arnie.

But the actor isn't entirely absent from the film. That is, Schwarzenegger is there in spirit, with Wright going on to tell Empire that there are plenty of homages to the original Richards actor throughout the remake. One of these will be unmistakable to anybody paying the slightest attention. As Powell shared during his interview, "I do get to say, 'I'll be back.' It's not said with an Austrian accent, I'll tell you that much. Arnold has his way of saying, 'I'll be back,' and I have mine."

In "The Running Man," Glenn Powell's Ben Richards competes in a reality game show to win $1 billion. In order to do so, he must survive for 30 days while being hunted by assassins in a world where his face is plastered across every TV screen in the country. If he fails, not only does he lose his life, but his sick daughter loses her chances of survival. In short, then, the stakes couldn't be higher for both Richards and the actor portraying him.

Powell became the internet's boyfriend when he co-starred with Sydney Sweeney in the frisky, fun rom-com "Anyone But You." Now, "The Running Man" will be a real test of his movie star mettle. One thing's for certain, however. Powell is certainly no modern-day Arnold Schwarzenegger, both in terms of his Hollywood standing and his general personality/appearance. But that merely means he perfectly represents Wright's desire not to merely remake the original "The Running Man."

Still, it would be silly not to acknowledge Arnie's contribution to the IP, and a few subtle easter eggs seem like a good enough way to do so. "I'll be back" is surely the least subtle of them all, though. First uttered by Arnie's T-800 in "The Terminator," Schwarzenegger actually tried to change what became the most famous line in the movie during shooting. It precedes Schwarzenegger's cyborg ramming a truck into the reception of a police station and has, of course, since become absorbed into popular culture. 

It will be interesting to see how it's incorporated, and indeed whether Powell's Richards similarly uses it to presage some sort of devastating attack in "The Running Man," which hits theaters November 7, 2025.