The 2025 film The Running Man is the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. It is set in an alternate dystopian present, where there is only one tv network, the Network, which controls all aspects of society. Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is a working class guy, who has been struggling to find work ever since the Network blacklisted him from all of its companies for insubordination. All Ben did was try to help his coworkers when they found themselves in dangerous working conditions. Ben and his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) live in Co-Op City. Like most folks in Slumside, they are struggling to make ends meet, and can’t even afford the medicine they need for their sick 2-year-old daughter.

Ben decides to try out for one of the various gameshows on the Network in order to make same much needed New Dollars. However, after going through the audition process, he is assigned to The Running Man—the only game show he did not want to compete in. Contestants never seem to return from this game show, which finds three 3 runners trying to survive for 30 days while being pursued by 5 hunters trying to kill them. The runners don disguises and try to blend in, hoping to not be found for 30 days. The show is broadcast live, and viewers who spot the runners can report their whereabouts for a bounty. While Ben knows the dangers of this game, the potential of winning up to a life-changing one billion new dollars is too good to pass up. However, the Network doesn’t always play fair, and once the runners are no longer good for ratings, they’ll help the hunters take them out.

Running this final game of The Running Man of the season is smarmy Network producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) and campy TV host Bobby T (Colman Domingo). Joining Ben in the game are fellow contestants, party girl Jenni Laughlin (Katy O’Brian), and naïve nerd Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy), neither of whom really take the game seriously, and don’t have the right motivation and determination to win. The hunters are led by mysterious masked Evan McCone (Lee Pace) and include the ruthless Frank (Karl Glusman), who is out for blood. If Ben is going to survive, he’s going to need to rely on his instincts and use the motivation of providing for his family to keep his wits about him. While the Network tries to discredit him and make him out to be the villain, his ability to win over the audience quickly becomes a threat to the Network.

This 2025 reboot of The Running Man is quite different from the previous 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film, and is actually closer to King’s original novel. While I was a fan of the 1980s movie, I still found this new version quite entertaining. Glen Powell is perfectly cast in the lead role, selling not only the more dramatic aspect of a man trying to save his family, but also the action hero side of this role. Several times during the film, Ben is forced to don a disguise in an attempt to blend in and not be discovered. Powell is able to put on accents and play these sometimes ridiculous different characters in a way that feels natural, but also brings in some very humorous moments. The other two runners, especially Tim Jansky, also bring some comedic moments. The film is action-packed, with lots of tense and exciting moments and plot twists. You never know quite where things are headed. My only complaint is that it feels a bit long by the final act, which feels a bit bloated and over-the-top. But overall, I quite enjoyed this version of the movie, the characters, and the story.

The Running Man also features some fun callbacks to the 1987 film, as well as some great guest appearances from William H. Macy, Michael Cera, and others. Throughout the film we also get to see some of the other programming on the Network, including a ridiculous Real Housewives-like reality show called The Americanos, starring Debi Mazar as matriarch Amoré Americano.

Paramount has released The Running Man on Digital, and it will be coming to disc in March. I was sent a digital code redeemable at Fandango At Home for this review. The 4K presentation looks and sounds excellent. The picture is clean with an excellent level of detail. The color palette is a bit muted, but this feels intentional as a way to set the tone of this dystopian world. The Atmos audio track sounds great and provides a really immersive experience, whether it’s bringing the action sequences to life, or just providing the ambiance of whatever city Ben is hiding out in. The release contains several hours of bonus material, including much of the Network content created for the shows-within-the-film, as well as some deleted/extended scenes, and behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew. The press release had listed a commentary track, but this was not available on the Fandango at Home release. I’m not sure if it’s included in the iTunes Digital copy, or if it will only be available on the disc releases.

What’s Included:
Specs may vary by provider

Film: (2:13:05)

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spansh Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• The Hunt Begins (11:32)
  The cast and crew talk about creating a new adaptation closer to Stephen King’s original book, the premise and themes of the story, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/producer/co-screenwriter Edgar Wright, co-screenwriter Michael Bacall, and stars Katy O’Brian (“Jenni Laughlin”), Glen Powell (“Ben Richards”), Josh Brolin (“Dan Killian”), Jayme Lawson (“Sheila Richards”) & Lee Pace (“Evan McCone”).
• The Hunters And The Hunted (16:36)
  The cast and crew discuss the characters, the cast behind the roles, training to be a hunter and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/producer/co-screenwriter Edgar Wright, co-screenwriter Michael Bacall, and stars Katy O’Brian, Martin Herlihy (“Tim Jansky”), Glen Powell, William H. Macy (“Molie”), Daniel Ezra (“Bradley”), Michael Cera (“Elton Perrakis”), Emilia Jones (“Amelia Williams”), Lee Pace, Karl Glusman (“Frank”), Josh Brolin & Colman Domingo (“Bobby T”).
• Welcome To The Running Man (16:47)
  The cast and crew discuss designing and creating the world of the film, including the sets, vehicles, gadgets, graphics, animations, costumes and disguises, and more. They also point out some of the Easter Eggs hidden in the designs. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, concept artwork, storyboards, and interviews with director/producer/co-screenwriter Edgar Wright, production designer Marcus Rowland, supervising location manager Eugene Strange, picture vehicles supervisor Nico Ferrari, co-screenwriter Michael Bacall, concept designer Oscar Wright, makeup and hair designer Sharon Martin, and stars Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Lee Pace, Josh Brolin & Colman Domingo.
• Surviving The Game: Shooting The Running Man (28:37)
  In this extensive making-of featurette, the cast and crew take viewers behind the cameras and discuss the story, characters, stunts, training routines, working with Edgar, the humor, creating the in-universe programming, the action sequences, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, storyboards, pre-visualization footage, and interviews with director/producer/co-screenwriter Edgar Wright, supervising stunt coordinator Nikki Berwick, second unit stunt coordinator Ian Pead, second unit director Darrin Prescott, co-screenwriter Michael Bacall, and stars Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Lee Pace, Colman Domingo, Speed the Wheel mascot Hammy The Hamster, Sean Hayes (“Gary Greeenbacks”), Michael Cera, Karl Glusman & Josh Brolin.
• The Running Man Commercials (2:28)
  Collection of in-world commercials for The Running Man on Network play back-to-back.
  • Let Them Run
  • Hey You! Tough Guy!
  • Watermelons
  • Fate And Destiny
  • Quadcopter
• The Running Man Show (4:38)
  Network promo footage for The Running Man plays back-to-back, from a montage of big kills, to the opening credits, to a rundown of the rules of the game.
  • Hardest Hits
  • Opening Titles
  • Rules Of The Run
• The Runners – Self Tapes (15:04)
  The raw self-tape submissions from the show’s contestants play back-to-back.
  • Ben Richards
  • Jenni Laughlin
  • Tim Jansky
  • Hopeless Dude
  • Negative Dude
  • Final Dude
• Speed The Wheel (2:19)
  Full footage of the in-world game show Speed The Wheel.
• The Americanos (8:30)
  Full clips from the soapy in-world reality show The Americanos play back-to-back.
  • Title Sequence
  • Episode
  • Promo 1
  • Promo 2
  • Promo 3
  • Promo 4
• The Apostle (4:31)
  Full clips from the in-world expose series The Apostle play back-to-back.
  • The Apostle 1
  • The Apostle 2
• Stunts Compilation (1:41)
  Montage of pre-visualization and raw stunt footage.
• Hair, MakeUp And Costume Test (25:47)
  Montage of the cast testing their various looks before the camera.
• Deleted And Extended Scenes (11:05)
  Collection of deleted/extended scenes play back-to-back.
• Trailers & Digital Spots
  Only the film’s theatrical trailer (2:27) is included on the Fandango at Home digital release.
• Commentary By Writer/Director Edgar Wright, Actor Glen Powell, And Writer Michael Bacall (2:13:05)
  NOTE: This commentary track is listed in the press release but was NOT available on the Fandango at Home version of the digital release. I’m not sure if it is included with the the iTunes release (this film is not part of Movies Anywhere), or if it will be exclusive to the physical release.

Final Thoughts:

The 2025 version of The Running Man is quite different from its 1987 film counterpart, but is still quite entertaining. Glen Powell makes a great action hero lead, delivering on the dramatic, physical and humorous aspects of the role. There are some tense and exciting action sequences, as well as some more comedic moments to the film—pretyy much the tone you’d expect from director Edgar Wright. The digital release looks and sounds great, and also includes a lot of entertaining bonus material. This is definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the cast/director.