Dystopian action movie trailer «The Running Man» — Glen Powell in a bloody battle for survival

Director Edgar Wright presented the first trailer for his new film «The Running Man» —, an adaptation of the novel by Stephen King, who was published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

The main role is played by Glen Powell — he will become an unemployed construction worker Ben Richards who is trying to find money to buy medicine for his daughter. In desperation, he agrees to take part in a brutal reality show set in a dystopian America of the near future. According to the rules, the man has to survive for 30 days, avoiding killers and hunters. The longer he stays alive, the bigger the win — but no one has ever survived. But a series of events leads to his being nicknamed the «The Running Man».

Glen Powell plays the role of not a superhero, but an ordinary man who finds himself in a deadly game due to terrible circumstances. He was chosen as the protagonist for a reason — the actor’s appearance combines the features of an ordinary man with inner simplicity.

The creators also revealed who organized the «bloody carnival» — a corporation called the Network, which is represented by the character Dan Killian (actor Josh Brolin, in photo 1). Killian — a producer and manipulator who uses the audience’s interest to make a profit, regardless of morality. The other «cog» system — is the show’s host Bobby T, played by Colman Domingo (pictured in Photo 2). The actor describes his character as «the most famous celebrity in the world». He was inspired by the image of the controversial host Jerry Springer, and also wears diamonds, Jacob & Co. watches, and other signs of the pop culture of the pampered future.

The rest of the cast includes:

• Katie O’Brien and Martina Gerlichy are the participants of the show;
• Lee Pace — Hunter McCown, whom the author describes as «killer ghost»;
• Karl Glusman — another hunter who trained under the supervision of an SAS instructor;
• William H. Macy — a black market trader;
• Emilia Jones — the heroine who crosses paths with Ben at a dangerous stage of the game;
• Michael Cera — Elton, a character from the novel;
• Jamie Lawson — the main character’s wife.

The screenplay was written by Edgar Wright together with Michael Bacall, with whom he worked on «Scott Pilgrim vs. the World». Visually, the film tends to the style of dystopias of the 80s. Unlike the Arnold Schwarzenegger adaptation, this film is closer to King’s story, where the action is not limited to the arena — it’s a game of hide and seek in the real world. That’s why Powell was required to be physically fit, similar to an action movie. So he had to seek the advice of a legend — Tom Cruise. And for the rest of the actors, one of the coaches was a former SAS operator.

The final cut of «The Running Man» is still in progress. But Paramount is already preparing a large-scale advertising campaign. The world premiere of the film is scheduled for November 7, 2025.

Source: EW