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 deadly game show in order to win money to 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 reassessments 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.

The Running Man Remake Latest News

Footage Premieres At CinemaCon 2025

Unfortunately, that teaser isn't available to view yet, so ScreenRant has provided an in-depth description of what was screened.

With the Stephen King movie set to arrive in fall 2025, the latest news finds The Running Man premiering at CinemaCon. The annual movie preview event saw presentations from several of Hollywood's biggest studios, including Paramount who closed out the convention on April 3. The studio used their to reveal information about their slate, including a teaser for The Running Man. Unfortunately, that teaser isn't available to view yet, so ScreenRant has provided an in-depth description of what was screened.

Teaser begins with Powell’s character Ben Richards in an alleyway. Brolin recruits him to The Running Man gameshow to help save his family who are struggling. Brolin believes Richards can win. Domingo’s host then provides a voice over, “The thrill of the hunt sharpens your sensors.” We see Richards and other contestants train in the gym, being shocked by an electro-stick, etc. “This is American goddamnit and we don’t put up with no bullsh*t,” Domingo’s host shouts in to the camera, with an audience behind him. We see several action shots after that. “Stop filming me!” Richards yells into the camera after he manages to escape one of the people chasing him.

One scene shows the pilot of a plane starts shooting in the cockpit, then it cuts to Richards running through an apartment building, sliding into an elevator. The person chasing him kicks a grenade into the elevator, but Richards manages to survive it. “I’m still here, you sh*t eaters,” Richards says, again into a camera. We then see another contestant luring a swat-type team into a trap. He uses a water gun to shoot the ground and electrocute the team.

The Running Man Remake Release Date

The Running Man Returns In November 2025

Despite a slew of promidates 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 competition.

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. ing 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 ed the movie as one of the deadly 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:

The Running Man Remake Story

A Desperate Man Competes On A Deadly Game Show

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 deadly game show to win money to 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.