Edgar Wright’s upcoming adaptation of the Stephen King dystopian horror novel The Running Man arrives November 14, and fans of both the author and the director are already lining up for a movie that looks like a blast. The Paramount Pictures film sees Glen Powell playing Ben Richards, a man who becomes the contestant in a reality series where he’s literally hunted by skillful assassins. Although the plot sounds somewhat similar to John Wick, in which a mercenary is also the target of a global manhunt, Wright believes that his hero is fundamentally different.
Wright recently talked about The Running Man during an interview with SFX Magazine, via GamesRadar+. In the interview, the director highlights Ben Richards’ journey as more “relatable” than those depicted in other action franchises. He believes that by toning down the “fanciful” details, The Running Man feels more real and isn’t simply about a hero trying to “attract attention”:
“This has as much suspense as action, because you’re in a movie where your lead character is trying not to attract attention. It isn’t a film where he’s running into a crowd and beating everybody up. That would be ill-advised. But it does feel intense because you’re with him the entire way, and you’re experiencing the developments of the story as he is. We don’t cut back to the studio audience or the baddies. We stay with Ben, we only see what he sees.
“We tried to create situations that seemed relatively grounded. We’ve had two decades of action where you’re used to seeing very fanciful, stylized stuff on screen – just the ongoing Hong Kong influence in Hollywood, from Kill Bill to John Wick to films I’ve made. Because of who Ben Richards is, this was an opportunity to bring it down to a more relatable level.
“I’ve always loved movies with people like Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, and Harrison Ford. It’s been a real blast because the stuff we’re doing on this movie isn’t random wirework and relying on visual effects. It’s all in-camera. It’s all happening around you. The explosions are real, people are flying past you.”
Ben Richards Isn’t Your Average Action Hero in ‘The Running Man’
Although Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall decided to incorporate their own spin, and even changed the ending of the original story, Ben Richards’ core motivation remains untouched. Sure, he’ll become a millionaire if he survives, but he’s also standing up to the Man.
Perhaps in terms of motivation, Wright’s version of the hero’s journey isn’t as bleak as it was originally, but it still carries weight. Its more than just a simple story of survival. As he put it when comparing The Running Man to other action epics, “It’s ordinary people against extraordinary odds”:
The references we’ve talked about in this movie are everything from Die Hard to Escape From New York. It’s ordinary people against extraordinary odds.