Running Man Trailer Reveals The True Meaning Of Its Strange Premise
Ben Richards becomes a TV star and a cultural icon.
Edgar Wright has a reputation for big, action-packed movies, be that in a comedy like Hot Fuzz or an action thriller like Baby Driver. His latest movie, The Running Man, is both a remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie and a new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, which he penned under the pseudonym Richard Bachmann.
The latest trailer for The Running Man is the perfect example of Wright’s style: full of action, jokes, and absurd premises, but with a powerful message lurking underneath. Check out the full trailer below.
In The Running Man, Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards, a man desperate to secure treatments for his sick daughter. Out of options, he agrees to participate in a sick and deadly reality show where he will be professionally hunted for 30 days while America watches. But Richards isn’t like his fellow runners — his stint on the show becomes more than just a chance to change his daughter’s life. Instead, it could change the entire world.
In the trailer, we see Michael Cera’s character, Elton Parrakis, tell Richards why he’s become the symbol of a possible rebellion. “You know why they cheered for you down there?” he says. “If you can survive against those goons, so can they.”
Michael Cera as hopeful rebel Elton Parrakis in The Running Man.
Sure, runners falling from balconies onto poker tables and assassins tossing around grenades like they’re hacky sacks is exciting, but the truly heart-racing element of this movie is sure to be the bigger implications of Richards’ success. Much like other fictional dystopian reality stars like Katniss Everdeen, he’s using the very system invented to keep the masses at bay to incite them against the powers that be.
We still don’t know how The Running Man will end — all we know is that it will have a different ending than the book and the original movie. In the book, he sacrifices himself for the greater good, and in the movie, he lives happily ever after. In this version, we may see a mix of the two: something that allows him to meet his personal goals while also being the face of a movement he couldn’t help but launch.
