Back in 2021, it was first reported that acclaimed filmmaker Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Baby Driver) might be looking at directing an upcoming revamp of the classic 1987 action movie, The Running Man, for an upcoming feature. During a recent interview with Slash Film, writer and producer Simon Kinberg (Deadpool, Fant4stic, Dark Phoenix, Star Wars Rebels) provided an update on the project, which he is also attached to, praising the work of Wright.
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According to Kinberg’s update on the remake, he and Wright are both “actively” working on the reboot, with Wright currently developing the script with writer Michael Bacall. So, it looks like development on the project continues.
SIMON KINBERG PROVIDES UPDATE ON THE RUNNING MAN REMAKE FROM DIRECTOR EDGAR WRIGHT
According to Kinberg, Wright is one of his “favorite directors of all time” and “a super great guy.” He stated the following on the planned remake of The Running Man:
“Yeah, he’s one of my favorite directors of all time and one of my favorite people, just a super great guy. Obviously a cinephile. We are working on it actively. He’s actively working on the script with Michael Bacall. And our hope would be that it is a movie that, again, all fingers crossed and luck and everything else go our way, that Edgar could maybe direct next year.”
– Simon Kinberg via Slash Film
It appears Kinberg collaborating with Wright on the project was inspired by Wright tweeting that if he would ever remake any film in existence it would be the 1987 action picture. Kinberg continued:
“Well, what’s cool is that Edgar, completely separately, before myself and Paramount started down the journey of figuring out how to get the remake rights, which was complicated, he had tweeted, just on his own — and I follow him obviously on every possible platform — he had tweeted that if there was one movie he would remake ever, it was ‘Running Man.'”
– Simon Kinberg via Slash Film
Kinberg continued that it would “be a big dream” to make this film with Wright after chasing him for multiple directing roles, including the X-Men films. He added, “So did I. And so when it came time, I was like, ‘Guys, I think we could maybe get … ‘” And I’ve chased Edgar for everything. I’ve chased Edgar for “X-Men” movies. I’ve chased him for literally every possible thing. We have talked about every movie. So yeah, this one would be a big dream”
The Running Man is based on a book of the same name by Stephen King he wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, which was published in 1982. The 1987 film followed Arnold Schwarzenegger as a framed ex-soldier who is forced to take part in a deadly television show, where convicted criminals or “runners” must face death at the hands of hardened killers.
The film version is only loosely based on the King novel, which is quite different, but they are both dystopian sci-fi thrillers. The 1987 movie was not all too successful, grossing only $38 million off of a $27 million budget, and it received fairly mixed reviews from critics. However, it has gained sort of a cult following over the years.
The original film was directed by Paul Michael Glaser with a script by Die Hard scribe Steven E. DeSouza. It also starred Maria Conchito Alonso, Jim Brown, Richard Dawson, Yaphet Kotto, and of course, WWE Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura, who also co-starred opposite Schwarzenegger in 1987’s action classic, Predator.
RELATED: Edgar Wright Set To Reboot The Running Man
It should be interesting to see what Wright comes up with if his reboot of The Running Man moves forward, and if he plans to incorporate more ideas from the live-action movie or potentially lift more ideas from King’s original novel. For now, the movie does not yet have an official release date, as Wright and Bacall are still working on the script. Not to mention, no casting can be done on the project until the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved.
Regardless, Wright is an exceptional filmmaker, and this could be a good project for him if and his collaborators find a way to improve upon the original. Wright’s latest film, Last Night in Soho was released in October 2021. The film only made about $22 million worldwide, but it garnered decent reviews scoring 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Interestingly enough, Wright is also sheparding the return of Scott Pilgrim in media with the Netflix animated series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
The series debuts on Netflix next month, featuring the entire cast from Wright’s live-action film returning to reprise their roles for the animated update. Wright is executive producing the series along with Scott Pilgrim creator, Bryan Lee O’Malley. The show debuts on Netflix on November 17.
What do you think of the news? Do you like the idea of Edgar Wright rebooting the classic movie? Do you think it should be closer to the original dystopian thriller novel by Stephen King? Let us know your thoughts on Wright’s new update of The Running Man on The Illuminerdi’s social media.
SOURCE: Slash Film
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