‘The Running Man’ trailer unleashes a dystopian thrill ride
Hold onto your seats, movie fans — Paramount Pictures has just dropped the official trailer for “The Running Man,” an electrifying new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel that’s sprinting toward theaters on November 7!
Directed by the visionary Edgar Wright, this near-future thriller promises a wild ride packed with suspense, action and a star-studded cast ready to bring King’s dystopian tale to life.
Picture this: a society hooked on the ultimate reality TV show, “The Running Man,” where contestants — dubbed Runners — face a brutal 30-day gauntlet, hunted by professional assassins while every heart-pounding moment is beamed to a ravenous audience. Survive a day, and the cash piles up; survive a month, and you’re a legend — if you’re still breathing.
Enter Ben Richards (Glen Powell), a working-class dad with nothing left to lose, roped into the game by the slick yet sinister producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) to save his sick daughter. But Ben’s not just running for his life — he’s running circles around the system. With his defiance, quick thinking and sheer guts, he becomes the people’s champ, spiking ratings and turning the hunters into the hunted. The stakes? Sky-high. The danger? Off the charts. The public? Glued to their screens, addicted to his every move.
This isn’t the first time “The Running Man” has made it to the screen. Back in 1987, just five years after King’s novel hit shelves, a loose adaptation roared into theaters. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Richards, that film embraced the core concept of a deadly game show, but veered away from the book’s grim atmosphere. Its popularity didn’t stop there — it even inspired a video game, letting players experience the dystopian pursuit on home computers of the time.
In contrast, this latest take is set to be a different beast. According to an exclusive report from Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. in February 2021, the new adaptation won’t echo the 1987 movie’s approach. Instead, it’s aiming to stick closer to King’s original story.
Wright, celebrated for his dynamic style in films like “Baby Driver,” teamed up with Michael Bacall to co-write the tale. Their goal? To deliver a version that captures the novel’s raw intensity while infusing Wright’s distinctive cinematic energy.
This news comes straight from an email announcement by Paramount Pictures, distributed through a film promotional material service to registered press members. US and Global News, as a registered outlet, received the scoop alongside other media, confirming the release of the trailer.
The cast is a knockout lineup: Powell leads as the gritty Richards, with Brolin oozing menace as Killian. They’re joined by William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson and Colman Domingo, with each name adding more fuel to this cinematic fire.
Wright along with Simon Kinberg and Nira Park produces. Executive producers George Linder, James Biddle, Rachael Prior, Audrey Chon, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro and Andrew Lary round out the team bringing this high-octane vision to the screen. The Paramount Pictures email we received also has a note saying “*CREDITS ARE NOT FINAL AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE*,” so there is that.
Mark your calendars for November 7, when “The Running Man” dashes into theaters, available in Dolby Cinema, 4DX, ScreenX, Premium Large Formats and IMAX — formats that promise to plunge you right into the action. With its killer premise and A-list talent, “The Running Man” is gearing up to be the cinematic event of next fall — millions will hunt, one will run and everyone will watch!
Meanwhile, you can watch “The Running Man” trailer below.
Featured photo is a cropped version of another showing Glen Powell at the 2025 CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attribution: Gage Skidmore. Both the cropped version above and the original photo by Gage Skidmore are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
