Edgar Wright’s highly-anticipated remake of The Running Man has added a major face. On Thursday, reports confirmed that Dune and Marvel Cinematic Universe alum Josh Brolin is set to star alongside Twisters and Hit Man star Glen Powell in the upcoming film, which is based on Stephen King’s dystopian 1982 novel of the same name. Brolin is reportedly set to portray the “ruthless producer” of the Running Man game show, although specific character details are unknown beyond that.
Brolin joins a cast for The Running Man that currently includes Powell and Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding, Twisters), who will reportedly portray another contestant in the game show. Wright, who is best known for helming Baby Driver and Shaun of the Dead, is directing the project and co-writing it with Michael Bacall. Filming for The Running Man is now expected to begin early next year, in hopes of targeting a November 2025 release date.
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The Running Man is set in a dystopian world where contestants can enter to appear on the TV show “The Running Man” where they must elude police and authorities for an extended amount of time. If they’re successful they’ll take home a huge cash prize, but for a month’s time they’ll be hunted by men with shoot to kill orders. The story was already loosely adapted into a movie in 1987, directed by Paul Michael Glaser with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the titular role.
“It was so fun for me because I searched “Edgar Wright” in my email the other day, writing “Edgar.” We’ve been going back and forth on script stuff, and it’s so fun,” Powell previously said of the project. “The world that Edgar’s developed on this thing is just outrageous. It’s so good. And really, we’re just both such big fans of the Stephen King book, and it’s going to be a great character. I’m so fired up about it. But I searched my email, and I searched Edgar Wright in my email, and it came up: I had a wish list of directors that I wanted to work with in 2008 when I moved out to LA that I sent my agent at the time — and Edgar Wright is literally number one. I’m such an Edgar Wright man. And so, the fact that I get to work with him right now is just so damn cool.”
The news of Brolin’s casting comes after his name was associated with another high-profile project earlier this fall, DC Studios’ forthcoming Green Lantern television series Lanterns. Brolin was reported to be in contention to star in the HBO series as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern, a casting choice that was met with a wide array of responses on social media. Brolin has since turned down the role, and it is now confirmed that Friday Night Lights and Early Edition star Kyle Chandler will be portraying Hal, with Rebel Ridge and Krypton star Aaron Pierre set as John Stewart / Green Lantern.
The Running Man will debut exclusively in theaters on November 21, 2025.