The Running Man (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A desperate man becomes a contestant on a lethal reality television show in a dystopian future.
The story
In the near future, the United States is ruled by the Network, an authoritarian media network that keeps the masses entertained with violent game shows. Ben Richards, a struggling worker in the slums, is forced into a desperate situation when he is blacklisted for activism and cannot afford medicine for his daughter. He enters the competition for 'The Running Man,' a deadly game where contestants are hunted by the Network's hunters. Accompanied by a small group of other runners, Ben must navigate a dangerous landscape of pursuit and paranoia as he attempts to secure a future for his family while being broadcast to a massive audience.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a dystopian United States ruled by the authoritarian 'Network,' Ben Richards enters 'The Running Man,' a deadly reality show where he is hunted by the Network's agents. After the deaths of his fellow contestants, Ben becomes the sole survivor, gaining the support of the working class. He eventually teams up with a woman named Amelia Williams, and they flee to Canada in a jet. During the flight, the Network's executive, Dan Killian, offers Ben a deal to become a hunter in exchange for his family's safety. Ben refuses, and after a confrontation with the lead hunter, McCone, the plane is shot down. Ben survives the crash and becomes the face of a revolution against the Network. The film ends with Ben emerging from a crowd to confront and shoot Killian as the public revolts.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 133
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Edgar Wright
- Cast and characters
- Glen Powell · Ben Richards; William H. Macy; Lee Pace; Michael Cera; Emilia Jones; Daniel Ezra; Jayme Lawson; Sean Hayes; Colman Domingo; Josh Brolin
- Genres
- dystopian; action
- Themes
- media manipulation; corporate greed; survival
- Tone and mood
- retro-futurist; steampunky; buoyant
- Setting
- Near-future United States, including New York City, Boston, and Derry, Maine.
- Premise and plot tags
- death games; survival; dystopia
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1982 novel by Stephen King
- Franchise connections
- The Running Man
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and was a box office bomb.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film is a much more faithful adaptation of the novel than the 1987 film.; The first trailer featured a remix of 'Underdog' by Sly and the Family Stone.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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