Glen Powell is going to run for his life this fall. Literally, he’s starring in The Running Man. The Edgar Wright film is based on Stephen King’s 1982 novel follows Ben Richards (Powell) as he takes part of a murderous game show, designed to kill contestants for sport.
This marks the second time that The Running Man has been adapted. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Running Man from 1987 was very loosely based on the novel and barely had any of the same beats. His name was just Ben Richards and he played a game called “The Running Man.” That was about it. With Wright’s adaptation, that he co-wrote with Michael Bacall, the 2025 film promises to be more faithful to King’s work.
In preparation for the film’s release, Powell spoke with Empire Magazine about the film and why he decided to take part in Wright’s work. Specifically what about Ben Richards appealed to him throughout the process. According to Powell, it was Ben’s “everyman hero” self that made him a more interesting character than some other options out there.
“I just don’t identify with people with superpowers for the most part,” Powell told Empire. “I like the ordinary guy against extraordinary odds. The entire world is hunting this man, trying to kill him. Can he survive? Can he save his family? That’s a great, simple story.”
Glen Powell turned down some big roles to take on Ben Richards
The Running Man has taken up a lot of Powell’s year. We saw filming begin in the fall of 2024 and wasn’t wrapped until right before Cinemacon of this year. He is now filming another film in the UK with JJ Abrams but his role as Ben Richards meant that he was not able to do Jurassic World Rebirth. The summer blockbuster featured Scarlett Johansson, Mahersala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey.
“Sometimes you’ve got to close your eyes and put yourself in that movie, and you’re like, ‘No, I would not be good in this movie,’” he said about declining to join the iconic franchise. “‘There’s somebody better that’s gonna breathe more life into this, or can do a better job than I can.’ And you just have to be realistic about that. Sometimes you put yourself out of a job, but that’s okay.”
You can see Powell shine as Ben Richards this November when The Running Man hits theaters.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
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