Don’t worry, Glen Powell got the Governator’s blessing for ‘The Running Man’
There is a divide among those excited about Edgar Wright’s adaptation of The Running Man. On the one hand, you have people who have read the book. On the other, you have Arnold Schwarzenegger fans.
Now, not only did I grow up in a family where Schwarzenegger was a god but I also was a young teen living in California during the Governator days. Remember those? Schwarzenegger was the governor of California from 2003 to 2011. But he was also a huge action star and one of my older brother’s favorite actors. Meaning I’ve seen more Schwarzenegger movies than I can count. Including The Running Man.
The Schwarzenegger version of The Running Man is very different than the Stephen King book, which is one of the reasons why Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall wanted to make this movie. But still, many are attached to Schwarzenegger’s take on Ben Richards. According to new star Glen Powell, the former governor is all for his version of Ben Richards in The Running Man.
“Arnold gave us his blessing,” Powell said during an interview with People. “Patrick Schwarzenegger is a great friend of mine and I asked Patrick if I could talk to Arnold.” Powell has worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger before. He was in the 2014 movie The Expendables 3 with him. But he said he hadn’t spoke with him since so he went through The White Lotus star.
But according to Powell, Schwarzenegger gave him his “full blessing” and even teased that he has a “very specific gift” for Schwarzenegger. “Arnold gave us his full blessing and we get to give Arnold a very specific, fun gift from the movie in a couple of weeks here,” he said. “So I’m very excited to see him.”
This new adaptation is a good thing
Look: We used to have a bit too much fun with “adaptations” in the 80s. Some, like The Shining, are classics. But that movie is even vastly different from the book. With The Running Man, there is barely any connection to what King wrote. Which, if you’re like me and started reading the book for the new movie, you might realize just how separated the Schwarzenegger version is.
That’s fine but that’s why I am so excited for the Glen Powell take on Ben Richards. But getting permission from Schwarzenegger is the right movie, especially for those who are hesitant on this new take on the story. Not me though. After seeing the trailer, I am even more convinced that this is going to be the best movie of the year.
But hey, at least we know that Schwarzenegger approves and I cannot wait to see what he gets out of this. Maybe they made Glen Powell wear that weird suit that Schwarzenegger’s Ben wore in the 1987 movie.
(featured image: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon)
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