The Running Man: Edgar Wright hosts special filmmaker screening for Jordan Peele, Joe Dante, Joseph Kosinski & more
Last Updated on November 3, 2025
The release of Edgar Wright’s The Running Man is nearly upon us, and the director recently hosted a screening of the new film for filmmakers. The event was attended by Joe Dante, Walter Hill, Joseph Kosinski, Shane Black, Jordan Peele, Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Patton Oswalt, Taika Waititi, Andy Samberg, Akira Schaffer, Daniel Kwan, and more.
The action thriller stars Glen Powell, who recently explained that he had to be approved by The Running Man author Stephen King before he could officially sign on. “Edgar offered me this movie, and I was like, ‘Yes.’ I’m like, ‘Let’s go…’ And then, like, later that night [Edgar says], ‘By the way, like, you have to be approved by Stephen King. He’s gonna watch Hit Man tonight,” he said. “And so I had to wait overnight for Stephen King to watch Hit Man and hope that I still had the role in the morning. It’s terrible.“
As for King, he’s obviously a fan of the new adaptation, even calling it the “Die Hard for our time.“
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Glen Powell had to wait to be approved by Stephen King before he could accept the lead role in The Running Man
Wright’s adaptation closely adheres to the original novel, unlike the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, which made some significant departures. “In the ’87 film, they’re mostly in an arena setting,” Wright said. “What struck me in the book when I read it as a teenager is, [the] contestants are just out in the world, so it’s almost like the deadliest game of hide and seek. You, as a contestant, can go anywhere or do anything. The 1987 film is a pretty loose kind of adaptation of the material. The stuff on the game show is closest to the book, and then it’s completely doing its own thing. I always thought, oh, most of the book has not been adapted.“
The official synopsis for The Running Man: “In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.“
The film will hit theaters on November 14.
