It’s Glen Powell vs. America in the First “The Running Man” Trailer

Glen Powell is in trouble.

In reality, Glen Powell is doing great, but his character, Ben Richards, sure is, in the first trailer for Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, a reboot of the 1987 sci-fi classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the same role.

The conceit is tidy and brutal and will sound familiar, even to folks too young to have seen the original but who have seen Squid Game—Ben’s a down-on-his-luck husband and father in desperate need of cash. And in the world Ben lives in, there’s a place for people who are as desperate as him—Ben needs a medical procedure he can’t afford—go on the uber-popular show “The Running Man,” in which contestants, called Runners, can win a boatload of money if they can survive for 30 days, but there will be a bevy of professional assassints hunting them. And of course, the entire thing will be broadcast to millions of viewers. The show’s producer, the appropriately named Dan Killman (played by Josh Brolin), sells Ben on the idea that he just might have what it takes to defy the odds.

The original and the reboot are both based on the novel by Stephen King. Once again, some big-time personalities and stars have been enlisted to tell the tale of this parallel America’s bleak commitment to entertainment at all costs. In the original, Schwarzenegger was joined by equally impressive physical specimens like Jim Brown as Fireball and Jesse Ventura as Captain Freedom. In Wright’s reboot, Powell is joined by Colman Domingo as the show’s immaculately presentable presenter and MC, Bobby Thompson, and superb actors like William H. Macy, Jayme Lawson (as Bens’ wife, Sheila), Lee Pace, and Michael Cera. Katy O’Brian, recently in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, plays one of the contestants.

And in Wright’s hands, The Running Man has a chance to be a true thrill ride. This is the man who turned getaway driving into cinematic music in his excellent heist film Baby Driver, and he’ll bring that same energy and ambition here.

Check out the trailer below. The Running Man sprints into theaters on November 7.

Here’s the official synopsis from Paramount:

In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.

Featured image: Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures’ “THE RUNNING MAN.”