There’s a seriousness to the inciting incident of The Running Man trailer—Ben Richards’ (Glen Powell) daughter is sick, and he’s desperate to find a way to pay for the treatment—belied by Powell’s irreverent quipping. “I’m not trying to get myself killed, so kiss my ass twice,” he says (before a cut to him slapping his own ass). Or later, “I’m still here… ya shit eaters!” Of course, that’s what make him such good TV, as producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) identifies. It’s also one of the hallmark traits of an Edgar Wright movie (that, plus an appearance from Michael Cera), one which premieres in theaters November 7.
“In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward,” the synopsis for the film reads. “Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.”
The market is rather flooded at the moment with deadly reality-show spectacle; see Squid Game, the other upcoming Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, or The Hunger Games. We’ve got a Variety Actors on Actors showdown for Best Evil Reality Host between The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping star Kieran Culkin and this movie’s Colman Domingo. But it’ll hard to beat Domingo’s aplomb as he declares “Bloodlust is our birthright, set it free!” in The Running Man trailer. “This is America, goddammit, and we don’t put up with no bullshit!”
Speaking with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Wright previously said he enjoyed the original film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but preferred King’s book, so he jumped at the chance to do a new, more faithful adaptation of The Running Man. For his part, Schwarzenegger has given the project his blessing. He told CBR earlier this month that he loves the idea of a remake, and always thought “it would have been great if we would have been better prepared for this movie, if we would have had more money for this movie, and if we would have had then… the visual effects, the technology of visual effects, that they have today, all of those things I wished after the movie came out, I felt like it could have been better,” he said. “It was great, but it could have been better, and I think that they have a good chance now with the new Running Man to make it better. And I hope, for their sake and for my sake, I hope that they will be successful.”
