Earlier than Glen Powell may formally swimsuit up for Edgar Wright’s upcoming movie adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man, there was one main hurdle standing in his manner… the King of Horror himself.
Throughout a panel at New York Comedian Con (through People), Powell revealed that Wright provided him the lead position of Ben Richards, however the deal got here with a stunning situation. Powel stated:
“Edgar provided me this film, and I used to be like, ‘Sure.’ I’m like, ‘Let’s go…’ After which, like, later that night time [Edgar says], ‘By the best way, like, you need to be accredited by Stephen King. He’s gonna watch Hit Man tonight.’”
That despatched Powell into an extended, nerve-wracking night time.
“And so I needed to wait in a single day for Stephen King to look at Hit Man and hope that I nonetheless had the position within the morning. It’s horrible”
Fortunately, King ended up loving Hit Man, the 2023 romantic crime comedy directed by Richard Linklater, and gave his blessing for Powell to tackle the position.
In The Working Man, Powell stars as Ben, a determined working-class man who enters a lethal sport present to assist his sick daughter. Contestants, often called Runners, should survive 30 days whereas being hunted by skilled assassins, with their each transfer broadcast to a bloodthirsty viewers. Every day survived means more money in the event that they dwell lengthy sufficient to gather it.
King’s 1982 novel was first dropped at the massive display in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger within the lead, however Wright informed followers that his model shall be “extra trustworthy to the ebook” whereas updating the story for contemporary instances.
Powell teased how Wright’s imaginative and prescient amplifies the stress of King’s story, saying:
“The best half about this [film] that I’m simply actually enthusiastic about is Edgar determined to take this [story] — loyal to the ebook — out in the true world.
“Residents can file [and] report you. They will take you out. So there’s this form of, like, ever-present feeling of rigidity that’s all through all the film. It’s relentless.”
With Wright behind the digital camera, King’s approval, and Powell moving into a job as soon as performed by an motion legend, this new tackle The Working Man is shaping as much as be one of the thrilling sci-fi thrillers on the horizon.
The Working Man races into theaters on November 14 through Paramount Footage.
