Edgar Wright’s Shocking Choice: Why Glen Powell is the Perfect Ben Richards

We’re approximately eight months from the release of Edgar Wright’s interpretation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man”, and it’s no exaggeration to say that excitement is running high. The 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is now a classic, so the director faces a challenging task: satisfying fans of the original movie, while also catering to King’s loyal readers. However, he seems to be making progress, thanks in part to his leading actor, Glen Powell, whom Wright chose for a particular reason.

Discussing The Running Man with Empire, Wright explained his choice to cast Powell as Ben Richards was to add a touch of realism to the film. If he had selected a well-known action star like Jason Statham or Tom Cruise, there would be certain audience expectations due to their previous roles. However, with Powell, there are no preconceived notions because this role is unlike anything we’ve seen him do before, which in some way, makes him more identifiable.

I preferred consulting someone relatively inexperienced in such matters. This resembles the early days of Bruce Willis, back when he was known for Moonlighting and hadn’t yet taken on Die Hard. That element of uncertainty made it more intriguing. Was it possible for them to deliver?

More to come…

Read More

2025-03-11 18:01