When you think of a dystopian blood sport where contestants risk their lives for fame and fortune, your mind likely jumps to the likes of The Hunger Games or Squid Game. But The Running Man, Edgar Wright’s long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel, is shaping up to be something far more emotional — and actor Glen Powell says that’s by design.
In a recent conversation with GamesRadar+, Powell compared the movie’s structure to sweeping historical epics like Braveheart and Gladiator. “One of the things that I would say is the structure of the movie is more like Braveheart and Gladiator,” he explained. “Ordinary people trying to save family members or make up for terrible things that have happened — and then getting pulled into a greater story where their problems aren’t unique. They start finding humanity in the inhumane.”
Powell stars as Ben Richards, an unemployed father desperate to afford life-saving medicine for his daughter. Out of options, he agrees to compete in a government-run reality show called The Running Man, where contestants can win a staggering $1 billion if they evade capture for 30 days. The catch? A team of lethal “Hunters” tracks them down — and no one has ever survived.
Directed by Wright, best known for Baby Driver and Shaun of the Dead, the film promises to retain King’s social satire while grounding it in something more intimate and mythic. Powell says Wright’s influences also stretch beyond the arena: “Network was another reference point,” he shared, citing Sidney Lumet’s 1976 classic about the media’s obsession with ratings. “That was all about the lengths people go to — the dehumanization of human life, and how a network will kind of do anything for viewership. That’s definitely a tonal comparison.”
Wright’s vision for The Running Man looks set to blur the line between spectacle and soul — combining King’s dystopian grit with the grand tragedy of human survival and redemption. With Powell in the lead and Stephen King himself reportedly praising Wright’s early cut, it’s easy to see why this adaptation might stand apart from other modern sci-fi thrillers.
The Running Man opens in UK cinemas on November 12, 2025, and hits US theaters on November 14, 2025.
