Summary

Edgar Wright talks with Perri Nemiroff for The Running Man.

In this interview, Wright dives into how challenging it was to make the movie and Stephen King’s reaction to seeing it.

The director also discusses Glen Powell’s everyman charisma and reuniting with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’s Michael Cera 15 years later.

From the game-changing Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) to the pulse-racing heist thriller Baby Driver, director Edgar Wright is one of the best working today. Able to tackle any task from the small, pop culture-loving sitcom to the big-budget Hollywood blockbuster, Wright’s signature style makes him a sure-fire way to elevate any potential project. Case in point: 2025’s The Running Man. Based on the novel by Stephen King, the upcoming dystopian action thriller is the second big-screen adaptation following the 1987 effort starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, with King himself giving his seal of approval for Wright’s interpretation, with the director revealing “he loved the movie.” Leading The Running Man, and stepping into the huge shoes of Schwarzenegger, is Glen Powell, one of Hollywood’s most exciting leading men, who promised Wright he would “work harder than any other actor” he’s ever worked with prior to casting. Ahead of the movie’s release, Collider’s Perri Nemiroff sat with Wright to chat about all things Running Man, with the director discussing just how complicated a film like this is, what it’s like working with Powell, the seal of approval given by King, and much more. You can check out the full interview in the video above or in the transcript below.
Edgar Wright on His Biggest Movie Yet: “Whose Idea Was It to Make This So Complicated?”

“It was my idea!”

Edgar Wright standing behind a camera on the set of The Running Man.Image via Paramount Pictures

PERRI NEMIROFF: My first two questions for you are inspired by something [producer] Nira [Park] mentioned in our press notes. The first thing is, she said that this is the biggest movie the two of you have ever made together. So, can you tell me something about the size of this movie that essentially let the two of you tick something on the bucket list, like use a tool, make a scene as big as you wanted for the very first time, but then can you also give me an example of a big-budget filmmaking learning curve that you experienced while doing this? EDGAR WRIGHT: The crazy thing about it is that it’s the biggest movie we’ve ever made, but also on the shortest timeline. [Laughs] We hadn’t really even started filming this time last year. So, the fact that it’s finished and done, that is the result of a lot of six and seven-day weeks, and 16-hour days. Everybody worked really, really hard to get it ready in time. But I don’t know. Really, the thing is that the ambition of a movie is kind of set by yourself in a way. So, sometimes you can stand on set thinking, “Whose idea was this to make this this complicated? It was my idea! Why do I make it so complicated for myself all the time?” So I think sometimes that comes up. The moments where you felt like it was really something that was exciting to be in the room… A lot of movie making is a long and sort of complicated process, and it’s a lot of little moving parts. But shooting the stuff on the game show with all the extras, the dancers, and fire, and Colman [Domingo] whipping up the crowd and the contestants all on stage, and people chanting and hurling abuse at Glen [Powell], then you really felt sometimes like you’re in it. You know, like, “I’m in the show right now.” That must be the best feeling in the world as a filmmaker. Also, what you brought up about the timeline made me think of this. Is this the very first time you have made a movie with a set release date that you had to hit? WRIGHT: Yeah. I think it is, actually.

Bobby Thompson holds a microphone up to a screaming Ben Richards, who’s being restrained by guards.Image via Paramount Pictures

What was that experience like? In addition to having very long days, how did you manage that kind of pressure? WRIGHT: We always knew that going into it. Mike Ireland, from Paramount, had said in early ‘24, and it was a very rare thing for a studio person to say, he was literally tapping his watch, and he goes, “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be making this film this year. We want it out in November ‘25.” So, we all knew that was the thing. And listen, it’s not like it wasn’t arduous to get it all done, but on the flip side, because the book is set in 2025, if somebody had said, “Hey, you guys need more time. We’re going to bump it into 2026,” I’d be equally bummed. So, I’m really happy that I’m sitting here today. I only watched the film with the finished sound and picture together, like, just over a week ago, so the fact that I’m looking at the poster and talking to you is kind of wild to me. As someone who loves the book, the fact that your movie is coming out this year tickles me to no end. WRIGHT: We just snuck it in in the last six weeks. Because you just mentioned having just finished the film, what was the finishing touch, the last thing you did on the movie that made you stop and go, “It is done and ready to go now?” WRIGHT: If you’ve seen the movie, those apostle sequences were some of the most dense bits to do. There’s a lot of moving parts, so I think maybe one of the apostle sequences. There are things that took months and months to finish, and so I think that was probably one of the final things to get finished.
Glen Powell Isn’t a Superhero – That’s Why This Works

“He’s not John Wick.”

Ben Richards, in a red and black suit, frowning at the camera, flanked by two guards in The Running Man.Image via Paramount Pictures

I have a bunch of collaborator questions for you. I’ll obviously start with Glen, who is just something else. I love him off-screen as a person, and I love the fact that he is soaring in this industry as a lead actor and also a leader in general. With him, can you tell me something you were able to accomplish making your Running Man movie that you know is only because Glen Powell was your Ben Richards? WRIGHT: There are a couple of things. Something about him playing the part was because Glen, even though he’s been in action movies before, he hasn’t played a superhero. I think if somebody has done a part where they’ve been, like, sort of a master martial artist or a trained killer — I mean, he plays a fake hitman in Hit Man — so with this, it was just the relatability of him feeling like an everyman. This is a guy that comes in off the street, and he’s tough because he’s worked in construction and he’s worked some dangerous jobs, but he’s not a superhero and he’s not John Wick. He’s a guy who’s in the middle of this deadly competition, and I think Glen has the charisma and relatability to pull that off. But also, just on a production level, sometimes when actors are in the mix for something, you don’t necessarily speak to them. You might speak to their reps. But because me and Glen knew each other a little bit, when he heard that he was potentially in the mix for the film, he sent me a text and he said, “Hey, I don’t know whether this is true or not, but I heard my name being mentioned for The Running Man.” He goes, “If I had the chance to make this with you, I promise you I will work harder than any other actor you’ve ever worked with,” and he was true to his word.

Edgar Wright and Glen Powell watching playbacks on the set of The Running Man.Image via Paramount Pictures

Oh, I’m going to be asking him about that quite a bit. Just for fun, because you just brought it up, would you like to see Glen play a superhero, and if so, who might you fan cast him as? WRIGHT: I’m still on cape break, so I haven’t got a fun answer to that one. [Laughs] Fair enough. I’ll twist this for you. We were talking about this on the NYCC panel, the idea that this movie was kind of manifested from that tweet you first put out. Now that you have actually made your Running Man movie, if I were to ask you that question again, what source material would you want to adapt, what sequel would you want to make, what reboot would you want to do, what is the next movie to go on that list? WRIGHT: That’s a good question. I feel like I don’t have an answer for that one, as well, because sometimes when you make a movie, you get a bit spoiled by it. When I made The Sparks Brothers documentary with Sparks, it sort of spoiled me for doing further music documentaries. So, I had such a great time with them, I’m not sure anything else will quite compare. And not to say that I wouldn’t, but this was such a great experience, not just making the movie, but also getting to connect with Stephen [King], the original author, and him love the movie. I feel quite spoiled by it. So, it might take me a minute to come up with something else.
Stephen King Gave ‘The Running Man’ the “Best Response”

“You can’t ask for anything better.”

The year 2025 is packed with Stephen King adaptations.Roger Wong/INSTARImages.com

Last time we spoke at the panel, you mentioned it was a little too early to share the details of what Stephen thought of the movie. Now that I’ve seen it myself, can you tell me the specific thing he said about your film that maybe struck a chord the most? WRIGHT: I’ll tell you two things. He was watching it, and I was waiting to see what his response was. And even before I’d read the email, I’d gotten an email, and the subject heading was “WOW” in caps, so I had a good feeling about it. I mean, he loved it. He said one thing about it that really touched me because I thought, “Well, this is probably the best response you could get from the original author.” He said he loved the movie, and then he said, “It’s faithful enough to the book to keep the fans happy, but different enough to keep me on my toes.” And I thought, well, you can’t ask for anything better than that.
Edgar Wright and Michael Cera Reunite 15 Years After ‘Scott Pilgrim’

“It shows a different side of him.”

There’s one other collaborator I wanted to make sure to ask you about. It’s Michael Cera. I want to know about reuniting with him, of course, but I’m also asking about him because I see him play that role in this movie, and it just feels so singular. It feels so unique to him. What is the biggest difference between how you pictured that character turning out on the page, and then what happened to him when he landed in Michael’s hands? WRIGHT: I remember sitting in my living room with Michael Bacall when we were working on the script, and Michael’s name coming up. I don’t know which of us said it, but we both said, “Oh, that would be so great.” The great thing is I think it shows a different side of him. We loved working with him before. It’s so great to work with him again, like, 15 years later. It’s also funny because we did two test screenings. It was funny, even in both test screenings, that people — it’s different, maybe, if people have seen the trailer — are starting to realize that it’s him. [Laughs] You could feel it in the room, because when he first comes on, they say, “Wait, that’s Michael Cera.” I can’t say enough great things about working with him again. Also, just seeing him and Glen together was really great. What an interesting and funny dynamic. The Running Man hits theaters on November 7.

Release Date

November 14, 2025

Director

Edgar Wright

Producers

George Linder, Nira Park, Simon Kinberg