Glen Powell In Talks For Edgar Wright’s Adaptation of The Running Man

Glen Powell is reportedly in talks to star in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man. Based on a science fiction story by Stephen King (writing under the pseudonym Richard Bachman),The Running Man centers on Ben Richards, who stars in an ultra-violent reality show in order to win enough money to get medical care for his sick daughter. The premise of the show? He has to outrun and outmaneuver hunters and assassins who are on his tail. Wright’s version of the movie is set for production under Paramount. A prior adaptation, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was released by Tri-Star Pictures in 1987, although that movie bore little resemblance to the source material.

With no official synopsis or information on the adaptation yet, it seems likely (but not guaranteed) that Wright will hew a little closer to the book — something that would give fans a little peace of mind as well as setting it apart from the original film version. There’s now word yet on who else will appear in the film or when it will enter principal photography.

According to TheWrap, who first reported on the talks, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World screenwriter Michael Bacall will write a script for the movie, based on a story by Wright and Bacall. Simon Kinberg, Nira Park and Wright are producing.

King’s futuristic novel is a chase thriller set in a dystopian America in the year 2025 which, if you’ve been paying attention, really doesn’t seem that farfetched. Of course, it’s likely they will either omit or modify that “future” timetable, since the movie is likely to hit theaters sometime in 2025.

Since having his breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick, Powell has become one of the hottest leading men in Hollywood. He recently starred in Anyone But You alongside Sydney Sweeney, a romantic comedy that has grossed over $200 million. He has a number of projects coming up soon, including the action-comedy Hitman (coming to Netflix in June) and the sequel/reboot Twisters, coming to theaters in July. He also produced a documentary about The Blue Angels, a U.S. Navy aviation team, which will be available on Prime Video and in IMAX theaters in May.

Powell has a number of other projects in various stages of development, and his name is one that has popped up again and again in fan-casting and wild rumors about plans for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe.