Glen Powell is lacing up his sneakers.
The “Top Gun: Maverick” star will lead the cast of Edgar Wright‘s “The Running Man,” taking on a role played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 cult favorite. The dystopian action film is based on a novel of the same name by horror maestro Stephen King, which he first published under a pseudonym, Richard Bachman.
Wright, best known for directing the satiric zombie film “Shaun of the Dead,” will also produce the picture along with Simon Kinberg and Nira Park. The filmmaker, whose work overflows with style and wit, most recently made the psychological horror film “Last Night in Soho.” His other credits include “Hot Fuzz,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Baby Driver.”
Powell is on a hot streak lately and has found himself in demand by many studios who believe he has the kind of charisma that could make him a major star. He co-starred with Sydney Sweeney in last winter’s “Anyone but You,” which became a sleeper smash, earning over $200 million globally. Powell also earned raves for his chameleonic turn in Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man,” which the pair wrote together. Netflix bought the film for $20 million after it premiered at last fall’s Toronto Film Festival. This summer brings another studio tentpole with “Twisters,” a follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster that finds Powell playing a storm chaser alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos.
Paramount Pictures is backing “The Running Man” and announced Powell’s casting during its presentation to theater owners at CinemaCon, the exhibition trade show taking place this week in Las Vegas.