Why Edgar Wright Wanted to Re-Adapt The Running Man
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Edgar Wright, the director responsible for films such as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End), Baby Driver, and introducing Sparks to a new generation of fans with the music documentary The Sparks Brothers (a must watch if you have yet to see it) returns with The Running Man, an adaptation of Stephen King’s (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) 1982 novel of the same name.
Set in the near future, the film centers on the top-rated television show “The Running Man,” a deadly game in which contestants (known as Runners) must survive 30 days on the run, while the Hunters, led by Evan McCone (Lee Pace), and the public try to find and kill them. If the runners survive the 30 days, they win $1 billion. Ben Richards (Glen Powell), who was recently fired from his job and desperately needs money to buy medicine for his sick daughter, is convinced by the show's producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to participate in the game.
Wright, a big fan of King’s, was very excited to get the chance to adapt The Running Man into a film. “I started reading his books when I was too young, probably 12, and I had read the Running Man when I was 14 as part of The Bachman Books, and I had read the book before I had seen the 1987 film adaptation,” he recalls. “It actually came to me four years ago. I think I mentioned I liked the book a number of times, and Simon Kinberg, the producer, said ‘Is it true that you have an interest in The Running Man? Would you like to work on a new adaptation?’ and I said, ‘Yes. I actively thought about it.’ It was a real gift to be sent something you are genuinely interested in.”
There was a handful of things that Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall thought were crucial to stay faithful to King’s novel. A key element to retain was who Ben Richards is. “He’s not an existing action hero,” Wright states. “He’s an out-of-work father. He’s kind of tough because he works some really difficult jobs, but he’s not like a skilled fighter or a superspy. I think it gives it hopefully more excitement because the character is very vulnerable, and you should feel throughout the movie that there’s a high chance that he’s not gonna make it.”
Keeping the point of view the same was another crucial component that the film kept the same. “Something that was very sort of vivid to me from reading the book, even as a 14-year-old, was that the whole story is from Ben Richards' point of view,” Wright says. “There’s not a single scene that he’s not in. You have this show that is being watched by billions of people worldwide, but you’re only with Ben in the story. His only window to the world is the TV show. That is the only information that he gets, which he starts to realize may not be entirely true.”
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
The last thing that Wright thought was important to stay true to the novel was the game itself. “Rather, it be an arena battle gladiatorial game [like the 1987 film adaptation] it’s out in the world,” Wright states. “It’s the deadliest game of hide and seek. You have 30 days to just run anywhere you can and hide anywhere you can, with not just the public and cops on your tail but also McCone and the Hunters as well. The book was very expansive in terms of the gameplay, and that was something we really wanted to bring into it.”
One of the main differences between Wright’s adaptation and King’s novel is the ending. “It was finding a different way to end the film in not quite as bleak and nihilistic way but to still have that sort of fire of revolution,” Wright comments. “Part of it is expanding it a little bit in terms of the action and maybe the worldbuilding, which in the book is incredible, but within a feature we have to do a lot more of that as well.”
Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards and gives a magnetic performance. With his performance in The Running Man, along with films like Anyone But You, Hit Man (for which he received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award), Top Gun: Maverick, and Twisters, Powell is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s next big stars. Now, as he has shown in The Running Man, he has the potential to lead more action films in the future. “What Glen is brilliant at is he has this relatability and this charm,” Wright says. “He feels like somebody you actually know, rather than sometimes action heroes can feel like they are already godlike at the start of the movie. Glen had to feel like a real guy in this situation. Even when he is at his angriest, there is still this kind of inherent charm and likability to Glen Powell. I think he is just an incredibly watchable and dynamic actor to have in every single scene of the film.”
Meanwhile, Colman Domingo stars as Bobby “Bobby T” Thompson, the host of “The Running Man.” Domingo’s performance is endlessly mesmerizing and wildly entertaining. “We didn’t want to do the same thing as the previous movie, where they had a real-life quiz show host [Richard Dawson] because we thought they already aced that,” Wright explains. He thought that Domingo’s incredible theatre credits would make him an excellent choice to play Bobby T. “To be the MC of the show, be that theatrical, have the audience at the palm of his hand, and sort of play them like a conductor, I knew he would be brilliant, and he did not disappoint. In fact, he didn’t start shooting with us until January this year, whilst he was in the middle of his press tour of Sing Sing no less. He just came in and ripped the roof off the studio.”
A standout scene from The Running Man is when Elton Parrakis (Michael Cera) sets off all his booby traps inside his house on the authorities. This exhilarating scene is a blast from start to finish, featuring brilliantly designed and elaborate set pieces, explosively exciting action, and Wright’s trademark humour and style. Additionally, the use of The Rolling Stones’ “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” was an excellent choice, as it perfectly matched the sequence. “We didn’t want Elton to be one of the bad guys, but we did want him to be a massive liability,” Wright laughs. “I have to credit Michael Bacall for choosing the Rolling Stones song. It was always the idea that [Elton’s] been waiting for this moment all his life to take revenge. I think the fun part of the sequence was that they had plenty of time to just get out of there, but he really wants to set all of his traps off. We thought that was a very funny premise in theory, that the entire action scene could’ve be avoided, and they could have gotten out scott-free, and he was so proud of his booby trap house that he needed to set everything off.”
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Overall, Wright had a fantastic time working on The Running Man. “It was a gift to be able to adapt the book,” he reflects. One scene in particular stands out to him. “I think shooting the scenes in the TV studio was really fun because it is sort of a point where the scenes are almost happening in real time, like Colman hosting, Glen getting booed, and all the extras going completely insane. I mean, Colman was so great at whipping up the extras. But I think some of those scenes on the TV set with the flames, dancers, graphics, music, the crowd going wild, and Glem baiting them were really fun.”
The Running Man is available to BUY or RENT now on DIGITAL with over two and a half hours of bonus content from Paramount Home Entertainment. Digital platforms include Prime Video, Apple, Fandago At Home, Google TV, Comcast, DirectTV, Verizon, Cox, and more. The only place to see the bonus content (deleted scenes, featurettes, and more) is on DIGITAL.