Sat Oct 25 00:20:00 UTC 2025: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Glen Powell Gets Stephen King’s Blessing to Star in ‘The Running Man’ Adaptation
NEW YORK, NY – Glen Powell has been officially cast as Ben Richards in Edgar Wright’s upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s dystopian thriller, “The Running Man.” However, Powell’s acceptance of the role came with a unique condition: He needed to receive the personal approval of the legendary author himself.
Powell revealed the unusual vetting process at New York Comic Con, stating that Wright offered him the lead role contingent on King’s blessing. King watched “Hit Man,” Powell’s recent romantic crime comedy, and was so impressed that he gave Powell his seal of approval.
“It was terrible,” Powell joked about the overnight wait. “I had to wait overnight for Stephen King to watch ‘Hit Man’ and hope that I still had the role in the morning.”
In “The Running Man,” Powell will portray Ben Richards, a desperate working-class man who enters a deadly televised competition to save his sick daughter. In the show, contestants, called “Runners,” must survive for 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, all broadcast to a bloodthirsty public for ever-increasing financial rewards.
Wright emphasized at NYCC that his adaptation will be more faithful to King’s original 1982 novel than the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This new version will incorporate 21st-century elements, particularly the pervasive nature of citizen surveillance.
Powell highlighted this modern twist, explaining, “Citizens can record [and] report you. They can take you out. So there’s this sort of, like, ever-present feeling of tension that’s throughout the entire movie. It’s relentless.”
“The Running Man,” distributed by Paramount Pictures, is set to hit theaters on November 14.
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