Glen Powell has found his adversary in Edgar Wright’s upcoming adaptation of The Running Man, based on Stephen King’s 1982 novel. Josh Brolin is in final talks to play the villain in the film, which makes sense – Brolin is no stranger to playing bad guys; in fact, he was once the biggest threat to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Per Deadline, Josh Brolin is joining The Running Man update from Paramount Pictures. The exact details of his role are still under wraps, but given that he’s described as the “antagonist behind the violent reality show,” Brolin is likely playing Dan Killian – a role previously played by game-show host Richard Dawson in the 1987 adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the dystopian thriller novel, which King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Killian is the executive producer of a reality show in which contestants are forced to run for their lives from trained assassins in the hopes of taking home a cash prize. Brolin will be joining the aforementioned Powell as well as Karl Glusman, Katy O’Brian, and Daniel Ezra once final negotiations wrap up to secure his spot on the project.
In addition to directing the film, Wright also penned the script with Michael Bacall, using King’s novel as his inspiration. Wright will be serving as a producer on the project as well alongside Nira Park and Simon Kinberg, while George Linder will executive produce. Should the film keep its release date, the movie will arrive just in time for Thanksgiving weekend when it opens on November 21, 2025.
The Running Man Was Already Adapted as a Vehicle For Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Running Man was previously adapted into the 1987 action thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Set in a dystopian future, the film follows a television show where criminals, known as “runners,” have to escape death from hunters who are sent in to kill them. Captain Ben Richards (played by Schwarzenegger in the original) is sent to a prison labor camp after he refuses to open fire on unarmed rioters in Bakersfield, California. Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), impressed by Richards’ physical abilities and false stories about him being a madman, coerces him into participating in the show through nefarious means. In that version, Killian is a composite of multiple characters from the novel. The movie also stars Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, and Jesse Ventura.
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Wright’s adaptation will also adhere to the source material much better than the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger flick did.
The movie would go on to become one of Schwarzenegger’s signature films from the ’80s, grossing $38 million on a $27 million budget. Reviews were mixed upon release, with the film currently registering 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has gone on to become a bit of a cult classic, with some more recent reviews pointing to how the movie has made on-the-nose predictions about the world today.
Brolin is no stranger to taking on the role of the Big Bad, having played Thanos in the MCU’s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In all honesty, it doesn’t get more evil than that, so The Running Man should be in good hands with Brolin as its villain.
The Running Man
hits screens on November 21, 2025.