(L-R) Edgar Wright, Glen Powell and Lee Grinner Pace speak onstage as Paramount Pictures presents The Running Man panel during New York Comic Con 2025 at The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on October 10, 2025 in New York City. Craig Barritt/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text Edgar Wright promises an adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man that will be more faithful to the book, while also delivering a "couple of nods to the 1980s film." The writer-director spoke about the adaptation process and what fans can expect from the Paramount Pictures film, releasing in theaters on Nov. 14, while joined on the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con by stars Glen Powell and Lee Pace. Ahead of a trailer drop, which is below, and following a special message and introduction from fellow star Colman Domingo, Wright addressed a 2017 tweet about his desire to do the adaptation, pointing to reading Stephen King's The Running Man when he was a teen. Related Stories TV Glen Powell Plans to Go Incognito as Chad Powers in the Real World TV 'Scream Queens' Co-Creator Muses About Reviving Horror Series, Talks Glen Powell's Now "Movie Star" Fame "I read it before I saw the 1987 film, so when I saw the Arnold Schwarzenegger version, which was very loosely based on the book, I always felt that there was a whole part of the story that just hadn't been adapted," he said. "My favorite remakes are ones that kind of do something different from the other one. So this is not an attempt to remake that film. This is something that's more faithful to the book, so that was what was exciting for me." As part of that adaptation process, Wright said King saw the script and approved. "He's like, the most famous English teacher in history," the director said, laughing. "I was with Michael Bacall, who wrote the film with me, and I was like, 'This is so nerve-racking to have to hand in our homework to Stephen King.' But he loved the screenplay, and so it was great. It was a real kismet." Wright added later that King, in an email, described the adaptation as "'more faithful to the book to keep the fans happy enough to keep me on my toes and excited.' And I was thinking, 'OK, I'll take that.'" While discussing his own take on the character and how much he pulled from the book and Schwarzenegger's performance, Powell joked, "In terms of what I took from Arnold, I do the entire performance in an Austrian accent," before addressing his take. "Ben Richards is the ultimate underdog. He's a normal guy who is facing off against the most powerful oppressive system. So there's no greater stakes and no smaller odds. He continued: "When Edgar and I first started talking about this role - I try to be a nice guy in real life, but he's like, I need bad mood Glen. I need to turn on something a little different in you. And so Ben Richards, in the book, is very frustrated with the system. He's been pushed down. He's trying to provide for his family, and every option has been taken away from him in order to do that. So this is a man who's just trying to provide for his family in a place that doesn't allow him to do that, and there's a growing frustration and anger there. I got to unleash that part of my personality." At one point during the panel, Powell revealed that King approved his casting after having watched his recent film Hitman. "The only interaction I had is when Edgar offered me this movie, and I was like, 'yes.' He's like, 'You're my Ben Richards,' And I'm like, 'Let's go.' Later that night, you're like, 'By the way, you have to be approved by Stephen King,'" Powell recalled. "He's like, he's gonna watch Hitman tonight, so I had to wait overnight for Stephen King to watch Hitman and hope that I still had the role in the morning." Speaking to Powell's work on the film, Wright and Pace both pointed to the actor's commitment. "There's something great about doing an action film around a character who's vulnerable and fallible and who you think is gonna die at any second," said Wright. "It was a really ambitious shoot, an exhausting shoot, and if I had anybody less hard working and diligent than Glen, I just wouldn't have got through it." "Talk about someone who gives it 1,000 percent and makes it look easy," added Pace. "He shows up every day with a level of commitment that can bring the same commitment out of our scenes." Pace, speaking to his own character and work on the film, shared that he loves "playing characters, playing people different from myself and weird." He continued: "[Wright] described this phantom chasing Ben Richards, this executioner. And I thought this is going to be a good time." To help him deliver as Evan McCone, Pace worked closely with the costume designer. "I love developing the costume," he said. "We had a really good time collaborat