Glen Powell has revealed that his upcoming remake has been approved by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The actor is set to star as protagonist Ben Richards in Edgar Wright's adaptation of The Running Man. The lead role was originally played by Schwarzenegger in the 1987 action movie.
In an interview with People, Powell shared that he and Wright recently discussed the upcoming role with Schwarzenegger via FaceTime. They received a supportive response from the legendary actor.
"Arnold gave us his blessing," he said. "[His son] Patrick Schwarzenegger is a great friend of mine and I asked Patrick if I could talk to Arnold and I hadn't seen Arnold since we shot Expendables in Bulgaria."
Powell added that Schwarzenegger gave them "his full blessing", and that they will soon be able to give him "a very specific fun gift" from the movie. "I'm very excited to see him," he said.
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The Running Man is based on Stephen King's 1982 dystopian novel, which was originally published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. It tells the story of Richards, a contestant on deadly reality show 'The Running Man', who must out-run a team of assassins to win a cash prize and save his sick child.
The remake, which is scheduled for a 7 November release, follows the same premise as the original movie, but is set in 2025 in a dystopian United States overrun by violence and poverty.
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The cast features Josh Brolin (as the villainous TV executive behind the competition), Karl Glusman, Colman Domingo, Michael Cera, Katy O'Brian, William H Macy, Emilia Jones, Lee Pace and Daniel Ezra.
Last month, Powell shared an update on the movie's production, confirming that filming had officially wrapped.
"That's a picture wrap on 'The Running Man'. All my love and appreciation goes out to our incredible cast and crew who have worked tirelessly on it," he posted on Instagram. "Can't wait for the rest of y'all to see what we've been shooting…. Much more coming soon!"
The Running Man is slated for release on 7 November 2025.
Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a "telly addict" since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including Metro, Asian World News and TwitCelebGossip; as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV, film and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From soaps to superheroes, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations and up to date information.
