The highly anticipated first trailer for Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, "The Running Man," has arrived, showcasing intense action, a vibrant, over-the-top personality, and Wright’s signature style and humor. Set to release on November 7, 2025, the film promises an exhilarating cinematic experience that deviates from the original book's bleakness.

In a near-future dystopian society, "The Running Man" is the top-rated television show—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being relentlessly hunted by professional assassins. Every move of the Runners is broadcast to a bloodthirsty public, with each passing day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to secure money for his severely sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards, portrayed by Glen Powell, is convinced by the show’s charming yet ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a final desperate measure. However, Ben's defiance, sharp instincts, and sheer grit transform him into an unexpected fan favorite and, consequently, a significant threat to the entire system. As the show’s ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, forcing Ben to outwit not only the Hunters but also a nation addicted to watching his every move.

Much like the 1987 film adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edgar Wright’s version appears to be heading in a significantly funnier and lighter direction than Stephen King's original novel, which was written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. While the 1987 movie notably omitted the family element—portraying Richards as a former military officer who defied orders—Wright's film reinstates Ben's motivation to save his daughter, mirroring the book in this regard. Both film adaptations, however, seem to consciously omit some of the darkest and most somber parts of King's dystopian vision, which was coincidentally set in 2025.

King’s original novel presented a far bleaker future where the protagonist's wife resorted to prostitution to pay for their daughter's medicine, and Ben Richards himself was depicted as drastically out of shape, making the competition even more challenging. Furthermore, the book’s profoundly somber ending, where Richards learns his family has been killed and retaliates by crashing a hijacked plane into the network's corporate building—an explosion described as "lighting up the night like the wrath of God"—is unlikely to be replicated in Wright’s more upbeat adaptation, just as it was omitted from the 1987 version. While Wright is clearly not aiming to replicate the pun-filled action of the 1987 film, the casting of Glen Powell and Josh Brolin promises compelling performances, with Powell's charm and Brolin's "s***-eating grin" as Dan Killian expected to be highlights.

For those seeking a more harrowing King adaptation, "The Long Walk" is also set to hit theaters on September 12, 2025. However, for a high-octane, fun, and stylistically distinct take on a classic dystopian tale, "The Running Man" starring Glen Powell is poised to be a must-see event when it arrives in theaters on November 7, 2025.