{"id":229754,"date":"2025-07-01T16:33:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T16:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/229754\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T16:33:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T16:33:15","slug":"explosions-glen-powell-and-michael-cera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/229754\/","title":{"rendered":"Explosions, Glen Powell, And Michael Cera"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edgar Wright is on the run. Not from the authorities, thankfully, but to the editing suite. \u201cI\u2019m going back to work after this call,\u201d he says, as he sits down for a Zoom with Empire long after most people will have clocked off for the day. He\u2019s got a film to complete, after all. And that film is The Running Man<\/a>, in which Glen Powell stars as a man who becomes a contestant on the deadliest game show in the world. Imagine if The Chase involved actual chasing, and you\u2019re halfway there.<\/p>\n

If the title seems familiar, that\u2019s because you may have seen the 1987 movie of the same name<\/a>, starring one Arnold Schwarzenegger. That was loosely based on the Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King) book of the same name. Wright\u2019s version promises to be much more faithful, and the trailer \u2014 out today<\/a> \u2014 promises a typically wild Wrightian ride. Here, he pauses just long enough inbetween lung-busting strides to tell us about some of the trailer\u2019s key moments and images.<\/p>\n

Meet Ben<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

When Wright was looking for someone to play his Ben Richards, he didn\u2019t want a Schwarzenegger-style physique. He wanted a normal guy. Well, normal-ish. \u201cHe\u2019s in better shape than you and I ever will be,\u201d laughs Wright of Glen Powell. \u201cThat was important, because this is not a remake. Ben is an out of work dad. He\u2019s worked in construction.\u201d Which explains the rippling muscles and washboard abs.<\/p>\n

Richards is a desperate man. In the dystopian near-future in which the film is set (the book, coincidentally, is set in the year 2025; Wright\u2019s movie might not be quite so specific), work is thin on the ground, money even more so. Which is an issue when you have a sick child. \u201cHe\u2019s in a desperate situation because he and his wife (Jayme Lawson) can\u2019t afford to buy real medicine.\u201d There\u2019s only one solution. But it\u2019s a desperate one, as befits a desperate man.<\/p>\n

The running man<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

In this world, TV is dominated by one channel, The Network, which runs a series of incredibly dangerous game shows, all of which offer cash rewards to anyone foolish enough, or in dire enough straits, to risk not just humiliation but serious injury by becoming a contestant. We may glimpse some of those shows in Wright\u2019s movie. But Richards winds up as a contestant on the most dangerous game of all: \u2018The Running Man\u2019, in which the rules are simple: you go on the run. You try to stay hidden, while being hunted by anyone and everyone. You survive 30 days, you win. You lose, you die. \u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily Ben\u2019s plan to go on \u2018The Running Man\u2019,\u201d says Wright. \u201cHe would happily go on one of the other game shows and risk injury instead of death, but by a series of circumstances he does end up as the prime candidate to be The Running Man.\u201d In other words, he catches the eye of\u2026<\/p>\n

All you need is Killian<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

\u2026Dan Killian, the producer of the show, played here by Josh Brolin in full-on sinister smarm mode. In the Arnie film, Killian\u2019s role was modified from the book so that he also became the host of \u2018The Running Man\u2019 (which was also tweaked to become a self-contained subterranean affair). \u201cKillian in our movie is the master manipulator behind the scenes,\u201d says Wright. \u201cMy main directive to Josh was, \u2018you think you\u2019re right all the time, all you\u2019re trying to do is create the best show.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Any resemblance to TV personalities\/moguls living or, well, living is very much coincidental. In one moment in the trailer, Ben squares up to Killian and delivers his variation on Arnie\u2019s \u2018I\u2019ll be back\u2019. \u201cI\u2019m going to come back here and burn this building down. I promise,\u201d he whispers. Killian smiles. \u201cThat\u2019s the spirit,\u201d he replies. \u201cGlen is rightly furious in the scene that happens in,\u201d teases Wright. \u201cAnd Josh is excited by that prospect, because in his head this is good FreeVee. He\u2019s in pursuit of the ultimate show, no matter how many people get crushed along the way.\u201d But if Killian isn\u2019t the host of \u2018The Running Man\u2019, who is\u2026?<\/p>\n

Hello, Bobby T<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Colman Domingo as Bobby T, the ringmaster of a very twisted circus. Domingo filmed for about a week on the elaborate Running Man gameshow set, holding court in front of a baying mob of about 300 extras. \u201cHe was in the middle of his Oscar campaign,\u201d laughs Wright. \u201cI actually announced his BAFTA nomination [for Sing Sing<\/a>] on stage. And he had the extras in the palm of his hand. It is\u2019t necessarily an actor\u2019s job to whip up the extras, but it was an amazing thing to witness him conducting the audience.\u201d And if you were wondering if Wright\u2019s movie would have the same satirical edge as the 1987 film, the King novel, or another 80s colossus like RoboCop<\/a>, some of Bobby T\u2019s lines in the trailer \u2014 \u201cbloodlust is our birthright!\u201d, \u201cthis is America, goddammit, and we don\u2019t put up with no bullshit!\u201d \u2014 would seem to be a very strong \u2018yes\u2019. As would the shot of the banes of Richards\u2019 life, framed against an American flag\u2026<\/p>\n

Release the Hunters<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

The rules of \u2018The Running Man\u2019 mean that any citizen can spot, and kill, Richards in exchange for a big sack of cash. But to further complicate things, he\u2019s targeted, from the off, by professionals. Guys who do this for a living. The Hunters. Not the larger-than-life goons that populated the Arnie film (\u201cHere is Sub-Zero! Now, plain Zero!\u201d), but ultra-efficient killing machines and masters of disguise. Wright calls them, \u201ca team of five fearsome crack hunters who are always one step ahead of the game. That was something in the book that I thought was interesting. It always reminded me a little bit of the Superposse in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The running woman<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

We get to see the Hunters in action throughout the trailer. And they\u2019re not always chasing Ben. There are two other contestants in The Running Man, and one of them is Laughlin, played by Katy O\u2019Brian. \u201cBen is inducted at the same time as them, and they all set off together as well,\u201d says Wright. But they very quickly split up, and at certain points we\u2019ll pick up their stories. In one scene, Laughlin appears to have stolen what looks like a pink Cadillac. If you\u2019re going to run, run in style.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll be (on the) back (of money)<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

The eagle-eyed amongst you may already have spotted an Arnold Easter egg. As one of the game show\u2019s hostesses flashes some cash, that looks like an awfully familiar face beaming on the back of the $100 bill. Wright is keeping schtum. But he will admit that he and Powell spoke to Schwarzenegger before filming began. \u201cIt was such a lovely conversation,\u201d he says. \u201cHe essentially gave us his blessing, which was really sweet. It was me, Glen, and Michael Bacall [Wright\u2019s co-writer on this and Scott Pilgrim Vs The World<\/a>] in my flat when we got on the phone with Arnold. Patrick [Schwarzenegger] patched us in as well. A double Schwarzenegger!\u201d<\/p>\n

Slip-slidin’ away<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

[Very Jeff Goldblum voice] \u201cUh, now, eventually, uh, you do, uh, plan to have some running man in your, uh, uh, Running Man trailer?\u201d And we\u2019re duly obliged in the back half of the trailer with glimpses of the mayhem Wright has marshalled. Pride of place is a complex oner as Richards is spotted by a drone while taking refuge in what looks like a rundown hotel. Chased by it, and others, Richards sprints along a corridor, and slides into an open elevator. \u201cFrom the conception of it in the script, there was always the idea of doing that as a oner,\u201d says Wright. \u201cThe way they\u2019re shooting the show is to have these advanced drones, so it was actually sort of a gift. So if you see cameras in the sky, something bad is about to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incidentally, the fellow guest who tells Ben that he\u2019s on FreeVee (King\u2019s quirky sci-fi name for TV in this world), and who can be seen flashing a peace sign at the drone as that oner begins? That\u2019s Michael Bacall. Whom Wright also credits with choosing the song that soundtracks the trailer. \u201cThat\u2019s \u2018Underdog\u2019, by Sly & The Family Stone,\u201d says Wright. \u201cThat\u2019s been in the script since draft one. And it\u2019s kind of poignant, that Sly just passed away a couple of weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ice-cool McCone<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

While in the elevator, Ben is confronted with a Hunter, who casually kicks a grenade back at Richards. This masked man is McCone, the chief Hunter, who is played by Lee Pace. Trust us, he\u2019s played by Lee Pace, even though you can\u2019t see his Lee Face. \u201cThat\u2019s straight out of the book,\u201d says Wright. \u201cHe\u2019s not visible to the public on the show. He\u2019s like The Stig of \u2018The Running Man\u2019.\u201d On that bombshell\u2026<\/p>\n

Take me to the bridge<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

Powell, who had just graduated from The Tom Cruise School Of Filmmaking, did many of his own stunts. So yes, that is him leaping off a bridge as something (perhaps some stars in reasonably priced cars) go boom-boom behind him. \u201cIt was amazing,\u201d says Wright of the stunt. \u201cIt took a lot of planning to work it all out. And to see Glen finally do that jump was pretty wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

The jumping man<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the only jump in Powell\u2019s portfolio either. (Maybe they should rename the movie, The Jumping Man.) Because in one scene, Richards can be seen clambering up a wall, and tensing himself for a spring of some kind. Oh, and he\u2019s dressed only in a towel whilst doing so. Wright utterly refutes any suggestions that putting one of the world\u2019s most attractive movie stars in a towel was a ploy to get bums on seats. \u201cIt\u2019s in the book!\u201d he laughs. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t catch me doing that.\u201d Well, of course. After all, Glen Powell is in better shape than any of us will ever be. \u201cAside from anything else, it was fucking freezing. But that\u2019s not a trick. Glen really is abseiling down the building with just a towel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plane! The plane!<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

Fans of the book will be intrigued to see that there are a couple of scenes set on a plane. Whether or not that means that the ending of the movie will be faithful to the book is undetermined. If you don\u2019t know what we\u2019re talking about, The Running Man by Richard Bachman is available now in all good and evil bookshops.<\/p>\n

Elton (not John)<\/strong>
\n\"The<\/p>\n

\u201cLive-action, it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve worked with Michael since Scott Pilgrim,\u201d says Wright of Michael Cera, who pops up at the end as Elton, a mysterious guy who appears to be helping Ben. \u201cI don\u2019t want to give too much away, but his character is a bit of a surprise in the movie.\u201d As for the button on the trailer, where Elton electrocutes a group of bad guys with a water pistol, \u201cthat is part of a much larger, wilder sequence.\u201d Get ready to run, folks.<\/p>\n

The Running Man comes to UK cinemas from 7 November<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Edgar Wright is on the run. Not from the authorities, thankfully, but to the editing suite. \u201cI\u2019m going…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3935],"tags":[77,3943,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-229754","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114778945183561115","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}