Trailer Talk: Edgar Wright’s The Running Man Promises a Thrilling, Bloody Sprint into the Future

Paramount Pictures has officially dropped the much-anticipated first trailer for The Running Man, Edgar Wright’s high-octane adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 dystopian novel (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman). Unlike the 1987 cult classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which leaned heavily into camp and satire, Wright’s take looks darker, grittier, and far more faithful to King’s original vision — and it’s absolutely pulsing with adrenaline.

 

Starring Glen Powell as Ben Richards — a desperate man in a decaying future who volunteers for a brutal government-run game show to save his family — the trailer wastes no time plunging us into the chaos. In this version, The Running Man isn’t just a flashy televised event; it’s a dystopian death sentence disguised as entertainment. Contestants are hunted across real terrain by trained killers known as “Hunters,” and if Richards can survive 30 days, he’ll walk away with enough money to get medical care for his sick daughter and escape poverty. Easier said than done.

 

Wright, known for his razor-sharp editing and kinetic energy (Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), brings a thrilling intensity to the visuals — this world is sleek yet grimy, stylized but grounded in paranoia and pain. The trailer gives us glimpses of a future drenched in media manipulation, corporate greed, and public bloodlust. And the cast? Absolutely stacked.

 

Alongside Powell are Katy O’Brian, Daniel Ezra, Karl Glusman, Jayme Lawson, Emilia Jones, Lee Pace, Josh Brolin, and Colman Domingo, among others. Michael Cera and William H. Macy show up in intriguing flashes — possibly part of the government or media machine orchestrating the game. Colman Domingo, in particular, exudes menace in what seems like a lead antagonist role, possibly the head of the network running the show.

 

What’s most exciting is the emotional grounding this adaptation promises. Powell’s Ben Richards isn’t a muscle-bound killing machine; he’s a man clinging to hope in a hopeless world. The trailer hints at a layered, emotional performance that may elevate The Running Man beyond just a survival thriller and into a poignant commentary on our obsession with spectacle, reality TV, and power.

 

With a screenplay by Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim), the tone feels smart, brutal, and uncomfortably timely. The November 7, 2025 release date can’t come fast enough.

 

This is The Running Man reboot we didn’t know we needed — and if the trailer is any indication, it’s not just running… it’s sprinting straight into must-watch territory.

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