At CinemaCon today, Edgar Wright and cast members Glen Powell, Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo debuted the first footage from the filmmaker's new take on The Running Man. Like the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Wright’s movie is adapted from the Stephen King book of the same name (written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym) about a dystopian game show where trained killers hunt you to the death - though there’s a huge cash prize if you can somehow survive. Wright said that while he enjoyed the 1987 movie, he always wanted to see the book – one of his favorites as a teenager – more properly adapted, which is where his version comes in.
The footage shown today indicates many of the details from the book discarded in the earlier film are put back in, starting with Ben Richards (Glen Powell) now much more of an everyman who volunteers for the games, thanks to financial desperation, rather than Schwarzenegger’s framed police officer who was forced to play them. Wright noted that Ben initially wants to play one of the other, less lethal games, only to end up in “the big one.”
In the ‘87 film, the show’s host, Killian, was also the executive producer, but the new film restores these aspects to two separate characters, as King intended - with Josh Brolin’s Killian now solely the executive producer of The Running Man, while Colman Domingo’s Bobby Thompson hosts the show. We see Killian trying to convince Ben to play The Running Man and when Ben tells him “I’m not trying to get myself killed, so kiss my ass twice,” Killian replies “That right there is why you’re perfect!” Brolin described his character as “wonderfully maniacal.”
In the footage, we see that Domingo’s Bobby is quite the showman, spotting a cowboy hat at one point and surrounded by dancing girls (the one aspect that feels inspired by the 1987 film). But we then see him scream in anger, presumably as the film goes on and Ben proves to be better at avoiding death than expected: “This is America, damn it, and we don’t put up with no bullshit! Hunt. Him. Down!”
Domingo described Bobby as someone who “knows he’s loved by America and they listen to him. He’s having a good time.” He added that he and Wright “talked about game show hosts and their function. The show must go on. The show must happen every day.”
Where the 1987 film had the game confined to a specific area, here Ben is on the run across the country, with Hunters trying to kill him wherever he goes. He’s also followed at every turn by drone cameras, and we see him grab a hold of one at one point and scream into it “Stop following me!” before smashing it. As you’d expect from Wright, the action looks dynamic and exciting with flourishes of dark humor, as bullets and arrows fly and some big fights break out.
The footage ended with a very well received moment where Ben takes refuge with a man (Scott Pilgrim himself, Michael Cera) who turns out to have readied himself for attack by electrifying the floor of his hallway. As he and Ben stand safely in the next room, Cera takes out a large pump action water gun and sprays the floor, frying a group of Hunters as they storm in.
Powell noted he regularly seeks career feedback from his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise, but was especially aware he had to speak to the actor – who is fairly legendary for his big running scenes at this point – about starring in a movie literally called The Running Man.
Powell revealed Cruise’s advice about getting ready for a role with a lot of onscreen running was simply “Film yourself running. You don’t look as cool as you think you do."
The Running Man opens November 7, 2025.
