Fresh off of his success reviving two other franchises, Glen Powell's ready to do it again as The Running Man remake would begin filming in November, though no exact date was confirmed.
Now, Paramount Pictures has officially given The Running Man a release date. The movie, which marks the second adaptation of Stephen King's sci-fi thriller novel, is set to hit theaters on November 21, 2025. This will not only put the remake in theaters just over 28 years after the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led original was released, but also roughly a year after filming began, as it's currently set to start shooting in November 2024.
In addition to the running date, The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that Katy O'Brian has ed the cast of The Running Man. O'Brian has been on an upward trend of popularity in recent years, namely with her ing role in both The Mandalorian seasons 2 and 3 as Elia Kane, followed by her critically acclaimed turn in the romantic thriller Love Lies Bleeding alongside Kristen Stewart and ing role in Twisters, thus reuniting her with Powell from the 2024 legacy sequel. O'Brian is said to be starring in The Running Man as one of the contestants in the titular violent game show.
The Running Man is one of multiple movies Paramount is toying with on their 2025 release calendar, as the studio has also set the true-story based drama September 5 to an awards season limited release on November 29 followed by wide release on December 13. Other titles moving include Bryan Bertino's horror return, Vicious, moving up from August 8 to February 28, the animated Smurfs musical movie being pushed back from Valentine's Day to July 18, and the Liam Neeson-led Naked Gun reboot moving from July 18 to August 1.
What This Means For The Running Man
Powell's Remake Is Facing A Very Contested Box Office
While the news of the movie finally landing a release date is sure to be exciting for those who have eagerly awaited it, The Running Man's date puts it in a heated box office competition. Though typically a month for awards hopefuls, November 2025 currently has a number of blockbuster productions scheduled to be released then, including the long-gestating Marvel Cinematic Universe Blade reboot and Zootopia 2, with Powell's remake facing Wicked Part Two on the same weekend. See the current November 2025 release calendar in the chart below:
Title |
Release Date |
|---|---|
Blade |
November 7 |
Bugonia |
November 7 |
Now You See Me 3 |
November 14 |
David |
November 21 |
Wicked Part Two |
November 21 |
The Running Man |
November 21 |
Zootopia 2 |
November 26 |
November 2025 may be a highly contested ground for theatrical releases, but there are a variety of reasons why The Running Man could still come out on top. One of the biggest is the fact that Powell has enjoyed a string of back-to-back hits over the past few years, with 2022's Devotion being the sole standout in regard to its financial underperformance, even as it gained rave reviews. With the combined hits of Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man and legacy sequel Twisters, his leading the charge will certainly be a draw for viewers.
3 Legacy Sequels Glen Powell Could Lead After Twisters
Glen Powell is a widely-recognized actor after films like Twisters and Top Gun: Maverick, meaning he could bring attention to other legacy sequels.
The other reason is that its direct competition, Wicked Part Two, is a risk that has not fully paid off yet for Universal Pictures. The first movie is pitting itself against Gladiator II in November of this year, not to mention facing lofty expectations to match the cultural icon nature of the stage musical it's adapting. Should the first Wicked prove to be underwhelming for both critics and audiences, The Running Man could easily sprint past Part Two at the box office next year.
Our Take On The Running Man's Release Date & New Casting
O'Brian's A Fantastic Addition & A Loaded Box Office Will Be No Issue
The combined update of a release date and expanded cast for The Running Man certainly instills a lot of faith in me about the project, particularly O'Brian's addition. Powell has teased that Wright is staying generally faithful to King's book while adding his own "fun" flavor to the source material, but O'Brian's casting report confirming she will be a contestant in the titular game show seems to point towards it taking a similar formula to Schwarzenegger's movie adapts King's world.
In the source novel, protagonist Ben Richards never directly interacts with any other contestants, whereas in Schwarzenegger's The Running Man, he and two other contestants were sent to a game zone at the same time. Unless O'Brian's contestant is one Powell's character never directly interacts with, and is instead shown in a concurrent story, having her and Richards work together could actually prove a powerful and fresh take on the anti-capitalist themes of the book. It would also go a long way to ensuring that a female character is given far more agency than the ones seen in both King's book and Schwarzenegger's movie.
10 Ways Edgar Wright's The Running Man Remake Will Be Different From Schwarzenegger's Version
Edgar Wright is directing an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man, which will be completely unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 version.
As for its release date, I really don't see The Running Man encountering too many issues to find at least a modest success at the box office, even with its contested release date. Twisters' box office is the best example of why Powell's remake could easily be a hit, as it only had one weekend to try and overtake Despicable Me 4 and get ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine, and while it may not have sured either movie at the global box office by the end of its run, it did still bring in an impressive $370 million and maintains the No. 5 spot on the highest-grossing films of 2024 at the domestic box office.
Sources: Paramount & THR
The Running Man
- Release Date
- November 13, 1987
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Director
- Paul Michael Glaser
Cast
Maria Conchita AlonsoBen Richards
Yaphet KottoUncredited
WHERE TO WATCH
Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, The Running Man is a sci-fi action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Ben Richards, a former cop who's forced to compete in a deadly game show where criminals fight for their lives. The 1987 movie is based on a Stephen King novel under his pen name Richard Bachman.
- Writers
- Steven E. de Souza
- Budget
- $27 million
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