Glen Powell has been confirmed for Edgar Wright’s 'The Running Man' remake.
Glen Powell is Ben Richards in the next adaptation of 'The Running Man'
The 49-year-old director is working on a movie based on Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name and previously promised that his take will be more faithful to the story than the 1987 dystopian flick that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And now it's been confirmed that the 'Anyone But You' star, 35, will play the leading role of Ben Richards in the Paramount flick, as announced at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week.
The novel's plot is as follows: "In 2025, the world's economy is in shambles and America has become a totalitarian dystopia. 28-year-old Ben Richards, an impoverished resident of the fictional Co-Op City, is unable to find work, having been blacklisted from his trade. His gravely ill daughter Cathy needs medicine, and his wife Sheila has resorted to prostitution to bring in money for the family. In desperation, Richards turns to the Games Network, a government-operated television station that runs violent game shows. After rigorous physical and mental testing, Richards is selected to appear on The Running Man, the Network's most popular, lucrative, and dangerous program. He is interviewed by Dan Killian, the executive producer of the program, who describes the challenges he will face once the game begins.
"The contestant is declared an enemy of the state and released with a 12-hour head start before the Hunters, an elite team of Network-employed hitmen, are sent out to kill him."
No release date is known yet, but it would be a nice touch to have it air in 2025.
'Last Night in Soho' filmmaker Edgar previously told the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast: "'The Running Man' is something that is in active development.
"Why is that interesting to me? It's like, I like the film, but I like the book more, and they didn't really adapt the book. Even as a teenager when I saw the Schwarzenegger film I was like, 'Oh, this isn't like the book at all!' And I think, 'Nobody's done that book.'"
The 'Hot Fuzz' director felt that the picture was "crying out" for the big screen treatment and he jumped at the chance when approached by fellow filmmaker Simon Kinberg.
Edgar said: "So when that came up, I was thinking, and Simon Kinberg says, 'Do you have any interest in 'The Running Man?' I said, 'You know what?' I've often thought that that book is something crying out to be adapted.'
"Now, that doesn't mean that it's easy! But it's something that we are working on, yes. I'll tell you that much."
Tagged in Arnold Schwarzenegger Stephen King Edgar Wright