Running Man: “Stephen King personally validated our adaptation”

Edgar WrightI read the book as a teenager, and before seeing the 1987 adaptation, so I was well aware that they hadn’t really adapted it. I liked the ’87 movie, but it’s very different from the book. So, as a Stephen King fan, I knew there was a whole other story to tell.

So I actively thought about it for years and then four years ago one of the producers, Simon Kinberg, contacted me to ask if I was interested in a new adaptation. Ironically, Stephen King’s book is set in 2025, so it was almost a sign of destiny that the film was released this year.

Glen PowellI can’t really speak for the directors (…) but I find that playing with audience expectations is something I think about a lot. Whether it’s sensitivity or vulnerability, I think expectations are always something I try to incorporate into a project: how does the audience approach this experience? What are his expectations? How can we outsmart them and create an interesting story?

Edgar WrightOn paper, Running Man looks like a mix of action movie and action sci-fi. But what I particularly appreciate about the original book is the biting satire that emerges from it, particularly on the state of television and the very definition of entertainment. I thought about this adaptation for a long time and I find that it corresponds well to my own sensibility, precisely at the crossroads of genres.

Edgar WrightI think it’s pure coincidence. I have seen the other films (The Monkey, Life of Chuck and Marche ou creve, Editor’s note), and they are all very different, which testifies to his great diversity as an author. I think it just shows the richness and depth of his work.

Glen PowellWhat’s really incredible at this point in my life and career is that when you take on a project like Running Man, it’s a huge challenge, obviously under the direction of one of the greatest filmmakers today… But for me, it’s a huge pressure.

Also, being able to call someone like Tom (with whom he worked on Top Gun: Maverick, Editor’s note) and ask him for advice… I am fully aware of the privilege and the luck that I have. He’s one of those rare actors who cares about the well-being of everyone around him. He really supports his friends and cinema in general.

Edgar WrightI loved Paul Verhoeven when I was little, especially his trio of films Robocop, Starship Troopers and Total Recall known for their satire. And obviously Lumet’s film Network is one of the greatest films of all time on television, it was impossible not to reference it in some way.

The production designer and I also analyzed other films to see how they used their sets. It could go from Brazil to New York 1997, via THX 1138. We mainly sought to know how to film a dystopia and give it a real anchor in reality.

Glen PowellWhat touches me about his style of production is his very precise vision: nothing is left to chance. It’s not like arriving on set and sometimes seeing filmmakers setting up a dozen cameras. No, Edgar has a vision and a world in his head, and everything that moves in and out of that frame – the lenses, the light shows or the music – is deliberate and considered. This vision allowed me to invest a framework already full of colors, ideas and emotions. It’s simple, I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as this guy.

Edgar WrightWithout going into too much detail and without spoilers, it’s pretty obvious why we didn’t pick up the end of the book. We also had to develop the story in relation to the book, also because we didn’t want to reproduce the ending of the book exactly. We wanted to both allude to this original ending, and offer something in the same spirit.

Stephen King was also happy that we made this choice, he validated our adaptation in person and gave us the greatest compliment by saying: “it’s faithful enough to satisfy the fans, but different enough to keep me in suspense and excite me.”