The Running Man Remake: Release Date, Cast, Story & Everything We Know About Edgar Wright’s Stephen King Movie

Multi-talented director Edgar Wright is remaking Stephen King’s The Running Man, and there are already exciting updates about the project. Originally written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, King’s The Running Man is set in a dystopian future where a man participates in a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly game show in order to win money to support his family. The novel served as a precursor to later popular fiction like Battle Royal and The Hunger Games and is generally considered one of King’s more underappreciated minor works.

Naturally, Hollywood came calling to adapt the book in 1987 and screen icon Arnold Schwarzenegger was tapped to play the lead role of Ben Richards. Stephen King wasn’t too fond of the adaptation, and the movie received mixed reviews along with a mildly disappointing box office performance (via Box Office Mojo). However, modern reᴀssessments of the film have been more positive, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World director Edgar Wright has specifically mentioned The Running Man as the film he would most like to remake. After years of silence, the project is moving forward.

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The Running Man Remake Latest News

Filming Wraps On The New Stephen King Movie


Glen Powell looking at Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Running Man
Custom Image by Grant Hermanns

With the movie wrapped, and a release date planned, the next step in the post-production process.

With work plugging away behind-the-scenes for months, the latest news confirms that the Running Man remake has finally wrapped filming. The news was broken by director Edgar Wright, who shared a pH๏τo of himself with star Glen Powell on Instagram. In the image, Wright and Powell hold an oversized version of the film’s slate complete with the new logo and a myriad of signatures from the cast and crew. With the movie wrapped, and a release date planned, the next step in the post-production process.

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The Running Man Remake Release Date

The Running Man Returns In November 2025


Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Running Man poster with a chainsaw wielding motorcyclist

Despite a slew of promising updates throughout the years, it wasn’t until October 2024 that The Running Man remake finally scored a release date. Originally, the Stephen King film was scheduled to arrive on November 21, 2025, but this put it head-to-head with the blockbuster Wicked: For Good. Now, it has been rescheduled to November 7, 2025, a date that will allow it to flourish financially without such stiff compeтιтion.

This date comes a year or so after the film began filming, meaning it will likely have no issues keeping on track and arriving on time. What remains to be seen is if the remake will change its release date again at any point in the coming year, especially if more big-budget movies start getting November 2025 release dates.

The original Running Man premiered on November 13, 1987.

The Running Man Remake Cast

Glen Powell Will Star In The Stephen King Remake

The first name attached to the cast of The Running Man was Glen Powell. The announcement of Powell’s casting came at CinemaCon in April 2024, and he stars in the lead role of Ben Richards, previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Joining Powell is All American star Daniel Ezra in an unknown role as a fellow contestant. Likewise, Civil War‘s Karl Glusman has been cast.

Josh Brolin was added to the cast in October 2024, and he will be playing a villain named Dan Killian. It was specified upon announcement that Brolin would play the ruthless producer of the game show, and not the host character originally played by Richard Dawson in the 1987 film. Lee Pace (The Hobbit) has joined the movie as one of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly hunters, Evan McCone, who attempts to track and kill Powell’s Ben Richards. Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs The World) will reunite with director Edgar Wright when he plays a rebel named Bradley Throckmorton.

Jayme Lawson (The Batman) will appear as Richards’ wife, Sheila, while Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) plays an as-yet-unnamed fellow contestant. Emilia Jones (CODA) is set to play Amelia, a woman taken hostage by Ben Richards during the course of the game, and William H. Macy (Shameless) plays an ally to Ben’s cause. David Zayas (Dexter) plays Richard Manuel, while Sean Hayes (Will and Grace) plays an unknown role. Colman Domingo (Euphoria) will play Bobby, the smarmy game show host who torments Ben throughout the games.

The cast of The Running Man remake includes:

Actor

Running Man Role

Glen Powell

Ben Richards


Close-up of Glen Powell as Tyler in Twisters looking offscreen

Josh Brolin

Dan Killian


Josh Brolin looking angry in Brothers

Lee Pace

Evan McCone


Lee Pace looking thoughtful as Brother day in Foundation

Katy O’Brian

A Contestant


A still from Love Lies Bleeding. Jackie (Katy O'Brian) is training on a weights machine in a vest with a motif of the words 'Burning Love'.

Daniel Ezra

A Contestant


Spencer (Daniel Ezra) looking concerned in All American season 6 episode 8

Karl Glusman

A Hunter


Karl Glusman lying on the ground with a gun in Civil War 2024

Jayme Lawson

Sheila Richards


Jayme Lawson as Betty Shabazz in Genius-MLK/X

Michael Cera

Bradley Throckmorton


Michael Cera gets killed in This Is the End

Emilia Jones

Amelia Williams


Emilia Jones as Reality looking determined at a computer screen in Winner

William H. Macy

Unknown


William H. Macy as Summerhayes lookng shocked in Ricky Stanicky

David Zayas

Richard Manuel


David Zayas as Antonio Vargas in FBI

Sean Hayes

Unknown


Sean Hayes sitting in an office in Curb Your Enthusiasm

Colman Domingo

Bobby Thompson


Colman Domingo's Muncie looking suspiciously around a room in The Madness

The Running Man Remake Story

A Desperate Man Competes On A ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Game Show


Arnold Schwarzenegger holding a weapon in The Running Man ready to shoot

Recent Stephen King Movies

Release Year

Rotten Tomatoes Score

Firestarter

2022

11%

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone

2022

45%

The Boogeyman

2023

61%

The Life of Chuck

2024

84%

Salem’s Lot

2024

53%

Though the format of Stephen King’s story is familiar in the 21st century, he was actually at the forefront of the genre when he wrote The Running Man. If the film sticks to the novel closely, it will see a desperate man named Ben Richards competing in a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly game show to win money to support his family. The most important aspect of King’s story is its biting satire of 1980s culture, and Edgar Wright is the perfect choice to bring the themes into the modern day.

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