In the year 2025, authoritarianism is on the rise in the United States against a backdrop of economic collapse and growing violence. The most popular entertainment is reality TV shows where real people demean themselves for money. This may sound like a pretty accurate description of life in America today, but it’s actually the plot of Stephen King’s 1982 novel The Running Man, which takes place in what was then the distant future — 25 years into the 21st century.
This fall, director Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man will race into theaters, offering a take on King’s dystopian vision from the filmmaker behind Scott Pilgrim, Shaun of the Dead, and more. And as part of Polygon’s Fall Preview, we’ve got an exclusive image to share from Wright’s upcoming film, which reveals a scene featuring both Glen Powell (protagonist Ben Richards) and Michael Cera (who plays a rebel named Elton Parrakis).
The Running Man follows Ben Richards, who decides to participate in a government-run game show. The game’s premise is simple: if he can survive for 30 days, he’ll win a billion dollars, but he’ll be chased the entire time by “Hunters” determined to kill him.
In King’s book, Elton Parrakis is a young man who lives with his mother and tries to push back against the government by spreading information. He has a minor but significant role in the story during a sequence where Richards shows up at his house and the two of them wind up fleeing from the police.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Wright teased Cera’s character, saying, “I think what he does in the movie is a little surprising, maybe from his previous performances. It was such a thrill to be with him and also just to see him and Glen Powell together. They’re a very unlikely duo that it was really fun to witness.”
Based on this image, it certainly looks like Cera and Powell will be teaming up in The Running Man, though it’s unclear how big of a role this will be for the Scott Pilgrim star. Elton has a pretty brief appearance in the book, but it’s possible Wright could expand that for this movie, which he has said is a relatively faithful adaptation. We’ll just have to wait and find out.
