Edgar Wright’s The Running Man has wrapped production (2025)

Four years have gone by since it was announced thatEdgar Wrightwas coming on board to direct a new take on the novelThe Running Man, which was written by Stephen King under his Richard Bachman pen name.The Running Manwas, of course, previously turned into a film back in 1987 that starred Arnold Schwarzeneggerand had little to do with the source material. Last year, Wright’s take on the material began filming with Glen Powell ofTop Gun: Maverick,Hit Man, andTwistersin the lead role –and now, Wright and Powell have confirmed that production has wrapped!

Wright and Powell both took to social media to share an image of them on set together, and each used the same caption. Powell’s caption read: “That’s a picture wrap on The Running Man. All my love and appreciation goes out to our incredible cast and crew who have worked tirelessly on it. Can’t wait for the rest of y’all to see what we’ve been shooting…. Much more coming soon!” When the English director shared the image and caption, he changed the Texan actor’s “Can’t wait for the rest of y’all to see what we’ve been shooting” into “Can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been shooting.”

King’s novel has the following description:It was the ultimate death game in a nightmare future America. The year is 2025 and reality TV has grown to the point where people are willing to wager their lives for a chance at a billion-dollar jackpot. Ben Richards is desperate – he needs money to treat his daughter’s illness. His last chance is entering a game show calledThe Running Manwhere the goal is to avoid capture by Hunters who are employed to kill him. Surviving this month-long chase is another issue when everyone else on the planet is watching – and willing to turn him in for the reward.

During an interview on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast a while back, Wright said he was drawn toThe Running Manbecause,“I like the film but I like the book more, and they didn’t really adapt the book. Even as a teenager when I saw the Schwarzenegger film I was like, ‘Oh, this isn’t like the book at all!’ And I think, ‘Nobody’s [done] that book.’ So when that came up, I was thinking, and Simon Kinberg says, ‘Do you have any interest inThe Running Man?’ I said, ‘You know what? I’ve often thought that that book is something crying out to be adapted.’ Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy! [Laughs] But it’s something that we are working on, yes.”

Wright is directingThe Running Manfrom a script he co-wrote with Michael Bacall and is producing the film with Nira Park and Simon Kinberg. Powell is joined in the cast by Katy O’Brian (who had a breakthrough role inLove Lies Bleedingand shared the screen with Powell inTwisters) as a contestant; Daniel Ezra, who played the character Spencer James on 106 episodes of the CW seriesAll American;Josh Brolin(Outer Range), playing a TV executive who is the main villain; Lee Pace (Halt and Catch Fire)as a ruthless hunter; Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) as a “naïve rebel who tries to help the desperate man”; Emilia Jones (CODA) as a “privileged woman blind to the oppression of the government“; David Zayas (Dexter) as a character named Richard Manuel; Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead) as the host ofThe Running Man, a violent reality show promising an outrageous cash prize; and William H. Macy ofFargoandBoogie Nights.

The Running Manis set to reach theatres onNovember 7th.

Are you looking forward to seeing Edgar Wright’s version of The Running Man, and are you glad to hear that production has wrapped? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.