Edgar Wright’s long-in-the-works adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man has found its finish line. Paramount Pictures has dated the film to open on November 21st 2025, where it’ll square off against Wicked: Part Two and an untitled Warner Bros. event movie. Stiff competition, for sure.
That said, Wright has Glen Powell in his corner. Powell, who has been red hot with Anyone But You, Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, and Twisters over the last couple of years, is set to star in The Running Man. He’ll take on the role of Ben Richards, a part made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 action classic.
Joining Powell in the cast is Love Lies Bleeding breakout Katy O’Brian, who also had a small role in Twisters. That news was confirmed by Deadline.
Wright’s film will be more faithful to the book, which was written under King’s Richard Bachman pseudonym. The story takes place in a dystopian future where the economy is in ruins, and people compete in deadly reality competition shows to win money. Richards enters the contest to win money to save his sick daughter, but can only win if he survives a night against the Hunters, an elite pack of hitmen sent to kill him.
The Running Man is in my pantheon of all-time great action movies, and I gave it the props it was due in the below video for Joblo. I hope you’ll check it out!