Glen Powell hangs from a rope, clad only in a towel, eight stories above freezing Bulgaria. Meanwhile, director Edgar Wright watches below, bundled in a parka with an espresso in hand. It’s February, and production on “The Running Man” is nearing its end. This shoot stands out as the longest, most costly, and certainly the coldest of Wright’s career.
Days earlier, a blizzard had covered Bulgaria in snow. Powell plays a game-show contestant in a deadly race for survival, aware of the brutal scene ahead where he must jump from a hotel window and rappel down a building with minimal clothing.
“It’s always temporary pain for eternal cinematic glory,” Powell quips.
Wright is known for his precise action choreography and is fixated on capturing the perfect shot. He aims to elevate the iconic barefoot stunts of Bruce Willis in “Die Hard” to another level. The weather? Ice cold. Wright recalls filming in Scotland, saying he felt his legs might freeze. “The insidious cold of Glasgow was relentless,” he adds.
Fast forward eight months, and Wright is in New York, enjoying a warm fall day just weeks before “The Running Man” opens. He’s wrapped up an autograph session at New York Comic-Con, navigating through a sea of fans. Surrounded by costumed attendees, he reflects on the excitement while taking refuge in a quieter room stocked with treats.
Stephen King’s original 1982 story set a dark tone about reality culture and totalitarianism, and oddly enough, it’s set in 2025, a parallel that seems increasingly realistic today. Wright’s version gives a fresh twist to King’s narrative, diverging from the testosterone-fueled 1987 film with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Here, the protagonist, Ben Richards, is a desperate father rather than an unstoppable warrior, determined to earn money for his sick child.
“We shot all night in harsh conditions,” Powell says. “Edgar wanted the struggle to feel real.” He promised Wright a commitment few actors would match, vowing to put his body on the line for the film.
Wright, who first discovered King’s work in his youth, reads with fondness. “King taught me that horror spans beyond fear; it mixes attitude, world-building, and humor,” he shares. In a tweet from 2017, he expressed his desire to remake “The Running Man.” Fast forward to now, Wright distinguishes his adaptation as a new take rather than a remake, making it a fresh experience.
Interestingly, “Baby Driver,” a 2017 hit, helped re-establish Wright’s footing in Hollywood after setbacks like his lost “Ant-Man” project. His unique vision has sometimes clashed with mainstream expectations, but his creativity continues to resonate. Despite the challenges of promoting “Last Night in Soho” during the pandemic, he’s excited about the release of “The Running Man,” which seems positioned to appeal to audiences once again.
Yet, there’s a sense of uncertainty hanging over the release. The film’s themes reflect fractured politics, presenting a dystopia that mirrors reality too closely for comfort. “We’re as close as we can be to ‘Running Man’ without actual deaths,” Wright states, expressing his hope that our world doesn’t take a darker turn.
Amid discussions on AI shooting to the forefront of Hollywood conversations, Wright connects this trend to themes in “The Running Man,” where technology sways public opinion. Just days before Comic-Con, industry chatter buzzed around Tilly Norwood, an AI actress gaining attention.
“AI is here to stay,” Wright acknowledges. “But an actress that doesn’t exist? It doesn’t spark excitement.”
Reflecting on his journey, Wright treasures the growth from those early Comic-Con days promoting “Shaun of the Dead.” Now, he’s a significant figure in film circles, drawing thousands of fans. The secret to his success? Maintaining his enthusiasm as a fan himself.
Recently, he reached out to King, eager for the author’s thoughts on the new adaptation. King’s enthusiastic reply—“I love it!”—brought Wright a smile. “It’s faithful enough to keep fans happy, yet different enough to excite me,” King wrote.
“I’ll take that,” Wright beams, far from frozen and full of ambition.
For more on the making of “The Running Man,” you can read about it on Variety.
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Edgar Wright,Glen Powell,The Running Man
