Glen Powell needed Stephen King's approval for 'Running Man'
What's the story
Before officially signing on to Edgar Wright's film adaptation of Stephen King's 1982 novel The Running Man, actor Glen Powell had to get the author's approval. At the New York Comic Con, Powell revealed that he was offered the lead role by Wright on the condition that King gave his blessing. "Edgar offered me this movie... And then, like, later that night [Edgar says], 'By the way...you have to be approved by Stephen King. He's gonna watch Hit Man tonight.'"
Tense wait
Powell was anxious for King's reaction
Powell further shared that he had to wait overnight for King to watch his 2023 film Hit Man and hope that he still had the role in the morning. "It's terrible," Powell said. Fortunately, King loved Hit Man and gave Powell his blessing to take on The Running Man role. In this film, Powell plays Ben Richards, a working-class man who competes on a TV show where contestants must survive being hunted by professional assassins for 30 days.
Film details
Wright on his adaptation of 'The Running Man'
Wright, at NYCC, said his film is "more faithful to the book" while incorporating 21st-century elements. He also revealed that it was nerve-wracking to send his screenplay adaptation to the author before starting filming. "Stephen King read the screenplay before we started filming... I was like, 'This is so nerve-wracking to have to hand in our homework to [him].'" The Running Man releases on November 14 via Paramount Pictures.