Glen Powell Potentially Starring in Backdraft Reboot

It’s Glen Powell’s world and we’re just living in it! The Scream Queens and Top Gun: Maverick alum is having quite the year. After starring alongside Sydney Sweeney in the box office hit, Anyone But You, Powell caught audiences’ attention by starring in Richard Linklater’s newest Netflix movie, Hit Man. Now, you can see the star on the big screen in Twisters. Currently, the movie is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with a 77% critics score. Turns out, the world of Twister isn’t the only 1990s classic Powell is interested in. It looks like a Backdraft remake is in development with Powell set to star. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer recently spoke withCNBC and teased a remake of Backdraft, the film helmed by Ron Howard in 1991 that saw Kurt Russell and William Baldwin playing firefighters, brothers, and rivals.

“Imagine [Entertainment] has always played in that zone where there is that chance, high probability of chance, that it [a movie] will be successful in a movie theater,” Grazer explained. “It’s great for us because we’ve built, over 30 years, over 100 different products – brands. Whether it’s Backdraft which I’m now going to do today with Glen Powell, or whether it’s 24, a movie that we’re going to do in a very interesting way with Disney-Fox.”

“These formats of the late ’90s, early 2000s have become very important because the streamers, or studios, are right now even more risk-averse,” he added. “They like brands that are already established that people have a high level of awareness to, where you actually add a new twist, or really interesting casting, which is of course what we’re doing with ours. We’re doing something with Sidney Sweeny which I’m very excited about. We’re doing something with Scarlett Johansson, also very excited about that. I mentioned Glen Powell with Backdraft.”

Glen Powell To Star in The Running Man Remake:

Backdraft isn’t the only remake with Powell’s name on it. In fact, before he potentially suits up as a fireman, Powell is expected to star in Edgar Wright’s remake of Stephen King’s The Running Man. The story was previously (and more loosely) adapted into a movie in 1987, directed by Paul Michael Glaser with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the titular role.  In a recent interview with IndieWire, Powell revealed that he plans on returning to the University of Texas to finish his degree in Spanish & Early American history in the fall while simultaneously beginning work on The Running Man.

“I’m not going to be sitting in a class with other students on the regular,” Powell explained. “I’m basically going to be coming back because I have to finish up, but I’m going to be shooting The Running Man in the fall. So I’m going to be in London, but I am going to be going back for proctored exams. So, they’re letting me figure it out [with] distance learning. And I’m obviously going to be coming in, Zooming in for classes and whatnot, but I have to be back for the proctored exams. So, we’re figuring that out for two or three times a semester, I’ll come back for all my stuff. Edgar has been very nice about letting me finish my degree in the middle of his massive movie.”

Stay tuned for more updates about Glen Powell.