(L to R) Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man.’
‘The Running Man’ is not necessarily the movie you might expect director Edgar Wright to make; he’s brought his own zippy visual style to genre comedies set in the horror, cop and alien invasion world, but has also plowed his own lane with the likes of ‘Last Night in Soho.’
Still, he does everything he can to liven up a fairly –– yet not completely straightforward studio wannabe blockbuster.
Script and Direction
Director Edgar Wright on the set of Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man,’ starring Glen Powell.
Wright, working alongside Michael Bacall (with whom he adapted the box office flop-turned-cult favorite ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’) here sets his sights on Stephen King’s darkly dystopian tale of a working man trying to help his family by entering America’s most dangerous game show.
In places, it’s almost surprising that Paramount, with its recent, shall we say, political moves, is still putting this one out, since it takes the prescient King book as its basis and mostly smartly updates it for our trying times.
There is a problem inherent in movies such as this which the new ‘Running Man’ (let’s not forget there was a much looser adaptation in the 1980s starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) in that it is tempted to batter you over the head with its message as much as possible. Wright and Bacall don’t entirely escape that particular sinkhole, but they do at least inject plenty of dark humor in to the screenplay.
And as a director, Wright has always been a dynamic craftsman –– while he tones things down here from the days of ‘Shaun of the Dead,’ there is plenty of his flare on display.
Cast and Performances
Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’.
Glen Powell is really the only person who gets much screentime, and he’s a charismatic central figure who can get across the burning anger of his character.
But on the supporting front, the likes of William H. Macy, Colman Domingo and particularly the director’s ‘Scott Pilgrim’ star Michael Cera have fun in different types of roles.
Final Thoughts
Colman Domingo stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’.
‘The Running Man’ certainly delivers on the action side of things, and some of its satirical message really hits home. It’s just a problem that it goes on too long with diminishing returns and ultimately wimps out (no spoilers) on King’s big finish.
‘The Running Man’ receives 70 out of 100.
Josh Brolin stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’.
What’s the story of ‘The Running Man’?
Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by The Running Man’s charming but ruthless producer to enter the deadly competition game as a last resort.
But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite – and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Running Man’?
Glen Powell as Ben Richards
Josh Brolin as Dan Killian
Colman Domingo as Bobby “Bobby T” Thompson
William H. Macy as Molie Jernigan
Lee Pace as Evan McCone
Michael Cera as Elton Parrakis
Emilia Jones as Amelia Williams
Katy O’Brian as Laughlin
(L to R) Josh Brolin and Director Edgar Wright on the set of Paramount Pictures’ ‘The Running Man’.
(Left) Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin in ‘Rustin.’ Photo: David Lee/Netflix. (Right) Richard Dawson in ‘The Running Man’. Photo: Tri-Star Pictures.
Preview:
Colman Domingo has joined the cast of director Edgar Wright’s ‘The Running Man,’ a new adaptation of the early dystopian novel by Stephen King.
Domingo will play the host of a deadly TV reality show in which one person is pursued around the world by hunters, with all looking to win a cash prize.
The role of the host was played by actor and real-life game show host Richard Dawson in the 1987 version of the story, opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Benjamin “Ben” Richards in ‘The Running Man.’ Photo: Tri-Star Pictures.
‘The Running Man’ is based on an early novel by Stephen King, published in 1982 under the name Richard Bachman. The book, set in a totalitarian United States in the year 2025 (!), follows a man named Ben Richards who, out of work and desperate for money to get medicine for his gravely ill daughter, becomes a contestant on the enormously popular title program, in which one person is pursued by a team of assassins sent to kill them. Paid $100 for every hour he survives and for every hunter he kills, Richards can earn $1 billion if he stays alive for 30 days.
The 1987 film based on the novel, directed by former ‘Starsky and Hutch’ star Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Richards, took a lot of liberties with King’s novel, turning his grim thriller into a much more colorful and even campy action-adventure ride. Wright’s adaptation seems likely to stay more faithful to the original text, although it seems to have retained the element of having multiple contestants in the game instead of just one.
(L to R) Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Dawson in ‘The Running Man.’ Photo: Tri-Star Pictures.
In the novel, the main villain is Dan Killian, the head of the TV network, while the game’s host, Bobby Thompson, is a less important character. For the 1987 film, the two were combined as Damon Killian, played by Richard Dawson. An actor by trade, Dawson was best known at the time as the host of the real-life game show ‘Family Feud,’ and his scenery-chewing antics in the movie arguably stole the show from its muscle-bound star.
Josh Brolin will play Dan Killian in Wright’s ‘The Running Man,’ but with the hiring of Domingo, the role of Thompson seems likely to be a more important part of the proceedings as well. Domingo is currently favored for a best actor Oscar nomination for his lead role in the acclaimed ‘Sing Sing,’ and in addition to his Emmy-winning recurring character on HBO’s ‘Euphoria,’ his other credits include ‘Rustin’ (for which he was also Oscar-nominated), ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,’ ‘The Color Purple,’ and a main role on ‘Fear the Walking Dead.’
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Benjamin “Ben” Richards in ‘The Running Man.’ Photo: Tri-Star Pictures.
(Left) William H. Macy in ‘Fargo’. Photo: Gramercy Pictures. (Center) Michael Cera in ‘Superbad’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing. (Right) Emilia Jones in ‘CODA’. Photo: Apple Original Films.
Preview:
William H. Macy, Michael Cera and Emilia Jones are joining ‘The Running Man’
Glen Powell is starring alongside Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Katy O’Brian and Daniel Ezra.
Edgar Wright co-wrote and will direct the Stephen King adaptation.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Benjamin “Ben” Richards in ‘The Running Man.’
‘The Running Man,’ which King published in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, was set in 2025 in an America under a totalitarian regime that uses violent game shows to placate the disenfranchised masses.
The story centered on one desperate man, needing money for his gravely sick daughter, who joins the most popular show, ‘The Running Man,’ in which teams of killers hunt down contestants. The longer that a contestant survives, the more money that person makes. But as the game show’s producers and killers will find out, our conflicted hero will break all the rules and expose the show’s dark secrets.
Powell is playing the main character, while O’Brian would be one of the other contestants.
What do we know about the new recruits for the movie?
Brolin, meanwhile, stars as the ruthless producer of the game show, and Pace is the brutal chief hunter tracking down Powell.
Cera (who starred in ‘Scott Pilgrim’ for the director) will be a naïve rebel who tries to help the desperate man, while Jones is playing a privileged woman blind to the oppression of the government.
Connie Britton in ‘Here After’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Connie Britton about her work on ‘Here After’, her first reaction to the screenplay, her character’s guilt, her relationship with her daughter, working with actress Freya Hannan-Mills, the tone of the movie, and collaborating with director Robert Salerno on set, as well as teasing her other upcoming movie, the true story ‘Winner’, which also opens in theaters on September 13th.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Britton and director Robert Salerno.
Connie Britton in ‘Here After’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and why you wanted to be part of this project?
Connie Britton: Well, I’ve joked about this before because of course, doing ‘American Horror Story’ all those years ago, I’ve always been afraid of horror movies. That’s not been my go-to genre, but I was really moved by this story when I read it, and it really took me by surprise, and it tapped into some very maternal feelings that I experience in my life and in kind of this supernatural way. But for me, whenever I read a script, I always really look for something that taps into my own humanity because I feel like if I’m experiencing that now in this way, my hope is that then I can help an audience tap into that thing too. So, that’s what it felt like when I first read the script. I just kind of felt really moved and the experience of what it feels like to be a mother and the unknown, but in a way that I hadn’t quite seen before.
MF: Can you talk about the guilt that Claire is dealing with and what she’s willing to do to protect her daughter?
CB: Well, I mom guilt is a thing. It’s real. Parent guilt is real. We’re not going to just restrict it to moms. I’ve done enough therapy to know that guilt is never productive, so it’s kind of is something that plagues us. So, for me, it was interesting to explore how she’s guilty because there was a consequence to something that was a result of her own emotional pain. There was a deeply emotionally painful consequence to that. So, I really was trying to explore my own guilt and what it would feel like if that was ratcheted up to here and heightened to a point where I couldn’t see the world in any other way other than through the filter of that guilt. It was interesting. As an actor, I always want to try to learn something from the roles that I play and learn something about myself. Sometimes you must look at things that you don’t really want to look at all the time every day. Guilt is certainly one of them. So, it was a challenging exploration, but also a beneficial one. I think it helped me understand the places where I feel guilty and where it’s not beneficial for me. Again, I hope that for audiences who watch it too.
(L to R) Freya Hannan-Mills and Connie Britton in ‘Here After’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about Claire’s relationship with Robin and what it was like working with actress Freya Hannan-Mills?
CB: Well, Freya is so wonderful and just a wonderful human being and a wonderful actress and amazing, transformative in this part. She made it easy, and instinctively she’s somebody that you want to be maternal toward, but we talked a lot about her relationship with her mother, and she’s just a gentle soul. So, it felt very much, like I could just get right into that feeling of I love this being. So yeah, it was wonderful to work with her.
MF: Can you talk about the film’s tone, and as an actress, is that something you are concerned with, or do you just leave that up to the director?
CB: Tone is really one of the most important things always because tone is such a pivotal part of telling the story. So, because if you tell a story with a more humorous tone, it’s going to come across completely differently than if you tell a story with a more surreal or moody tone. So yeah, as we were making the movie, I was constantly trying to understand what my role was between grounding the movie, but also understanding that there was this supernatural element to it and trying to find the balance between worlds. But I always want to try to ground any character that I play as much as I can, because I think that that allows our audience then to open into whatever worlds we’re creating even more effectively because the audience feels grounded as well. But that’s always a balancing act, and just to find out how, you’re firmly on the ground and then how far you can fly.
(L to R) Giovanni Cirfiera, Alessandro Bressanello and Connie Britton in ‘Here After’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
MF: What was it like collaborating with veteran producer Robert Salerno on his first feature film as a director?
CB: It’s always exciting working with someone who is directing the original vision from the script. It’s exciting because, and we talked about it a lot, he really had invested so much of himself into the vision of this story. Then it’s exciting to see that unfold. In Bob’s case, he is a veteran producer, but also, he was directing a movie for the first time in Italy. We had these incredible Italian crews that I just adored so much. But it was interesting watching the challenges that came up for him around that, and being a first-time director, and it just felt like we kind of were all in these beautiful Roman trenches together, really learning how to do this in that beautiful landscape with the wonderful crews that we got to work with.
Director Susanna Fogel’s ‘Winner’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: Finally, in addition to ‘Here After’, you also have the film ‘Winner’ opening on the same day. What can you tell us about that movie and the character you play?
CB: Well, I mean, that is an incredible story. I don’t know if you know the story of Reality Winner or not, but it’s a true story about a young woman named Reality Winner who during the 2016, when Trump was elected, basically she was working for the NSA, and she discovered that the Russians had interfered with our elections. So, because she felt like people needed to know this, she anonymously sent her discovery to a to a media site, and she was arrested by the FBI. She went through a terrible prison ordeal and is still enduring a lot of the repercussions of that. Anyway, it’s an amazing story of this very young woman. I play her mother who helped try to give her a voice because she was given one of the worst sentences, we’ve ever given to someone who’s basically been accused of being a traitor to the country. So, it’s an interesting philosophical story, and hers is a story of courage. You learn a lot about it, but Susanna Fogel (‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’), the director tells it almost as a black comedy, which speaking of tone, it’s kind of a harrowing story, but seen through the lens of black comedy, it makes it more accessible and relatable as well.
I5egBzArsPQznyNvtnUs07
What is the plot of ‘Here After’?
Claire Hiller (Connie Britton) is overjoyed when her daughter Robin (Freya Hannan-Mills) is miraculously revived after a fatal accident. But her relief turns to dread as Claire notices changes in her daughter, suspecting something dark has followed her back from the brink of death.
Siân Heder directs Emilia Jones and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo in ‘CODA’
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, director Siân Heder graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama before moving to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. Her work for a nanny agency that catered to guests with children staying at four-star hotels inspired her 2006 short film ‘Mother,’ which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. She won a Peabody Award with her fellow writers for their work on the show ‘Men of a Certain Age’. After working on several seasons of ‘Orange is the New Black,’ she made her feature film debut with ‘Tallulah,’ starring Elliot Page and Allison Janney, which debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Inspired by a 2014 French-language film ‘La Famille Bélier’, ‘CODA’ (which is short for child of deaf adults), stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, the only hearing child in a culturally deaf family of fishermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts. As she finishes her senior year of high school, Ruby finds herself torn between her commitment to her parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur) and their family business, and her desire to attend Berklee College of Music and pursue her love of singing. Selected as the opening night film of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, ‘CODA” swept the festival’s U.S. Dramatic competition, winning the Grand Jury Prize, Best Director, Audience Award, and a Special Jury Prize for its ensemble cast.
‘CODA’ is in select theaters now and streaming on Apple TV+
5IhuUQLZEXMmI73TlT8KY
We spoke to director Siân Heder about working with her ensemble cast, as well with actors Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, and Daniel Durant about their experiences working with her.
Moviefone: Can you talk about your casting process?
Siân Heder: Marlee was the first person I had cast. I thought of her right away when I was writing the script, and really connected with her when I met her. Troy I had seen in two Deaf West Theatre productions and I thought he was just a brilliant actor. When he walked in for his audition he had on this little fisherman’s cap that he always wears, and his face looks like he’s been out on a boat as a kid. He just felt like a Gloucester fisherman. Daniel was phenomenal in his audition and had a real understanding of his character, that his character is the voice of reason. He’s just so frustrated that his parents and his sister have developed this co-dependent, slightly unhealthy relationship. I probably auditioned a hundred girls for Ruby, and it was really hard to find someone who could take on all these things. She had to be a good singer who could blow people away with her voice and also sign fluently and go out on fishing boats like she had done that her whole life. It was really finding a unicorn. I was so lucky with Emilia Jones. She did an incredible job with this role in terms of riding the emotions and comedy.
MF: How did you craft such a tight-knit family dynamic with your actors?
Heder: I was very lucky that these people fell in love with each other in real life. That’s something you really hope for as a director, but it’s hard to create. The only thing I can do as a director is create an environment on set that is very open and welcoming and warm, and encourage people to have dinner together and hang out outside of the set. Marlee Matlin had worked with Troy Kotsur before, and Daniel Durant and Troy had worked together. They’re both members of Deaf West Theatre. They had played father and son together already, actually. So there were friendships that were already in place. Emilia Jones was really the outsider coming in who didn’t already know this cast. I was so lucky with the personalities I found. Everybody had a great sense of humor, and we laughed a lot. These actors really bonded in a deep way. Marlee would cook for everybody, and they would hang out together. They really just became a family. It was probably the most special experience I’ve had working on something. It was very hard emotionally to finish the movie because it was a family experience.
Emilia Jones in ‘CODA’ Emilia Jones plays Ruby Rossi.
MF: Can you talk about working with director Siân Heder?
Emilia Jones: I could go on and on about how amazing Siân is. She is the most incredible director I’ve ever worked with. I knew from the minute I met her that I wanted to work with her. She had this openness. She wasn’t bound to the script. When we were on set, she knew that we all knew these characters inside out, better than anyone else. So it was very much like, “What would you do here? What do you think you’d say here?” I love that we could have this teamwork approach. I love that we all lived as these characters. She wanted everything to be authentic, so we went out on the fishing boat at 4 a.m. We went rock jumping on the weekend, Siân and I and Paula Huidobrom, our D.P., and Ferdia [Walsh-Peelo]. It was a bonding experience. I love how perceptive she is, how direct she is. I love that she knows what she wants. She taught me so much. With her instinctive tweaks, she can absolutely transform a scene. I admire her so much.
Amy Forsyth, Daniel Durant, Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur in ‘CODA’ Marlee Matlin plays Ruby’s mother Jackie.
MF: Can you talk about what made you want to work with director Siân Heder?
Marlee Matlin: When I went after the film, and I pursued it quite heavily, she told me her vision. I knew her work from ‘Tallulah,’ which I loved a great deal. I respected her work as a director and as a woman, and as someone who wanted to delve into our community and culture. Typically, we would look at people with some suspicion, but I saw that she wanted to make this film as authentically as possible. As a result, we became friends, as mothers, as co-workers. We both had the same amount of passion. We both fought for the work on the screen. I found her a wonderful woman. She has a great mind. Her perspective of life is amazing. I learned a great deal from her. She got my humor and I got hers. I hope to work with her again.
MF: What was the experience like on her set?
Matlin: I’ve always been on a set as the only deaf actor on the set. I’m there with an interpreter, and it gets a bit lonely. I don’t want anyone to pity me, it just means that everyone is talking, and I always feel like I’m missing out on 98% of the conversation. Sometimes the interpreter is eating, because I have to give them their own time, their one break. So I would go to my trailer, or I would talk one on one with an actor, but the communication would be a bit difficult. On this set, it was completely different. I felt as though the hearing people were the minority. By that, I mean hands were flying everywhere. To my left and to my right. My actors, who were all deaf, we were just conversely free, and the hearing people were looking at us as the minority. We had an ASL master who could sign. We had a director who could sign. We were totally in our element here.
Emilia Jones and Troy Kotsur in ‘CODA’ Troy Kotsur plays Ruby’s father, Frank.
MF: Can you discuss the first time you met Siân Heder and your experience working with her?
Troy Kotsur: I’ve worked with many different directors, and I didn’t expect it, but she did her homework before I met her. She knew about deaf culture and signing. She had been to Deaf West performances on stage. She got together with sign language consultants and had done her due diligence. That gave her more cultural sensitivities. It was awesome working with her. She was always trying to learn more signs. When we were off camera, we had conversations while the interpreters took their breaks. It was so nice to see her give that effort, every time, in every situation. For example, in the Rossi family house, the hearing crew had laid out all the furniture and Marlee took a look and said it wasn’t deaf friendly. We said a deaf family would be sitting opposite each other to give eye contact. That’s how we communicate. Hearing people can sit side by side; they’re depending on the sound, they don’t care where the other person is. But for the deaf, logistics are important. So she made those necessary changes to fit that cultural need. It just shows such an open mind, and that’s what is so great about working with her.
Daniel Durant in ‘CODA’
Daniel Durant plays Ruby’s older brother Leo.
MF: Could you discuss what the audition process with Siân was like?
Daniel Durant: My first audition, I sent in a video of myself. I was just doing some sign language. At that time I was doing a production, a deaf production, that was in Toronto, Canada. I saw the script and was like of course I want to audition for this. So I sent it in, Siân said she liked it, she liked my facial expressions and wanted to do a Zoom call. I found the time despite how busy I was with the production. I was really nervous, but one thing that I was really impressed with was that Siân just has such good energy. She looks right at you, and she lets you know what she’s thinking. She shared her vision for Leo with me, and she would share her notes, and I would be Leo with her as we were on the call. We did a third audition where it was Siân and the casting director. They wanted me to do another video, and this time I had someone reading lines with me. That final audition, I rehearsed the scene where Ruby and I are on the beach. We went back and forth, really furious. I sent it in, and they really liked it, but I didn’t hear back for like two weeks. Finally, they said I’d gotten the role, and I was shocked, I was excited and overjoyed. It was like a dream come true. I was so excited to get to work with Marlee and with Troy.
MF: Can you discuss working with Siân as a director?
Durant: Very special. Not like any director I had worked with before, whether it was TV or movies. Very different because she already knew sign language to begin with. She had done lots of research already on the culture. She had some deaf friends. Sometimes directors aren’t too involved, but she was super involved. Sometimes she didn’t use an interpreter at all. She wanted direct communication. When we were doing scenes, she would just get in and talk to me straight on. I love that about her. She is so smart, and she’s really very funny. She knows how to have fun on set. We were always joking around. She’s just a wonderful person.
