Glen Powell’s sleepless night waiting for Stephen King’s verdict on ‘The Running Man’

Glen Powell reveals he had to wait overnight for Stephen King’s approval before landing ‘The Running Man’ role

Glen Powell has revealed that before landing the lead in Edgar Wright’s upcoming adaptation of The Running Man, he had to earn approval from none other than Stephen King himself. Speaking at New York Comic Con, the 35 year old actor admitted that securing the author’s blessing was far more nerve racking than any audition he has ever done.

Powell, known for Top Gun: Maverick and Hit Man, explained that director Edgar Wright offered him the role of Ben Richards on one surprising condition. “Edgar offered me this movie, and I said yes right away,” Powell shared. “Then later that night he said, by the way, Stephen King has to approve you. He’s watching Hit Man tonight.”

The actor recalled anxiously waiting overnight for the verdict. “I had to wait for Stephen King to watch Hit Man and hope I still had the role in the morning,” Powell said, laughing. Fortunately for him, King “loved” the 2023 film and quickly gave his approval.

In Wright’s version of The Running Man, Powell plays a desperate father who agrees to take part in a brutal televised survival game to help his sick daughter. Contestants must evade professional assassins for 30 days, with every deadly encounter broadcast to millions of viewers. Unlike the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wright’s adaptation promises to stay closer to King’s original 1982 novel while adding a modern twist on surveillance and digital culture.

Powell described the updated concept as “relentless,” saying that in this version “citizens can record and report you, so there’s an ever present sense of danger throughout.” Wright’s film, produced by Paramount Pictures, is set for release on 14 November and is already generating major buzz as one of the year’s most anticipated thrillers.

From waiting on King’s approval to stepping into one of sci fi’s most brutal worlds, Powell’s Running Man journey proves that even Hollywood’s rising stars still get nervous when Stephen King is the one watching.