A gripping tale of survival and rebellion hits the big screen this week with ‘The Running Man’, a dystopian action thriller based on Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name.
Directed by Edgar Wright and produced under the Paramount Pictures banner, the film is set for worldwide release on November 14, including a simultaneous premiere at Star Cineplex, Dhaka.
Starring Glen Powell, William H Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jamie Lawson, Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin, the 2025 adaptation is said to be far more faithful to King’s original work than the 1987 film version.
Set in a near-future dystopia crippled by economic collapse, mass unemployment and totalitarian control, the film portrays a society pacified by a brutal television game show titled The Running Man.
The participants, known as ‘runners’, are chosen from the poor and outcast, given one horrifying task: survive for 30 days while being hunted by armed assassins. Success means wealth and freedom, but failure almost always ends in death.
At the heart of the story is Ben Richards, played by Glen Powell, a factory worker and desperate father whose young daughter is gravely ill. Fired for protesting against the corrupt system, Richards volunteers for the deadly game to save his family.
As the nation watches, he becomes both prey and symbol; running through a city where everyone can betray him for a reward.
However, the game soon reveals itself as more than a spectacle. Through his perilous journey, Richards joins an underground resistance seeking to expose the regime’s manipulation of the masses.
His fight evolves from personal survival to a rebellion for truth and justice, culminating in a powerful live-broadcast showdown that unmasks the government’s lies.
With its biting social commentary, intense visuals and emotional depth, The Running Man promises to be a thought-provoking cinematic experience that blurs the line between entertainment and control, according to its makers.
