Edgar Wright’s ‘The Running Man’ has the chance to be timelier than ever
As someone reading The Running Man currently, it has made me imagine Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall’s vision for the Stephen King story. And one chapter really has the ability to be more timely than ever before.
In the second half of the novel, Ben Richards (who will be played by Glen Powell in the film) is left alone and dressed like a priest after leaving Boston and the family who graciously helped him escape alive. While he is having a very introspective moment, we learn a lot about Richards.
The chapter, which is labeled ” …Minus 056 And COUNTING…” details how Richards met his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson) and how they were in love but how his work as a wiper meant that it was hard to have children. When they finally did conceive, Richards explains his Cathy, who he is in the game for, with such awe and love that it made me cry while reading it.
We are on this journey with an angry Richards, a man who is furious with the world around him and lashes out, makes racist remarks to end up hated in the games, and uses his personality to his advantage to try and get more money for his family. But this chapter shows how all the systems in the world made Richards’ life so much harder than he needed it to be.
His parents died, then his brother, and then he worked a dangerous job to try and just make money but he fell in love and wanted a family and somehow, that ruined his entire life because society only awarded those dedicated to work and not their own lives and families.
The Running Man as a whole is a commentary on consumerism and the mindlessness that game shows can have but this chapter really put into perspective what this story can do.
I trust Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall with it
Edgar Wright’s work is often fun, at times trippy, but does have layers to it if you’re willing to look deeper. Movies like Last Night in Soho use the night scene of London to bring to life a twisted tale of men and their exploitation of women and the reaction when one woman says enough.
Even films like Shaun of the Dead, which are toted as the best of the comedies, are more a commentary on how we view people we see as “dead beats” and how they can be capable of great things when given the chance. His work has consistently been deeper than I think a lot of people give him credit for. So getting to see Wright and Bacall shine in something like The Running Man has made me incredibly excited for the film.
Yes, I love Powell and his work and I do think that a character like Ben Richards will be a fascinating departure for Powell and the films he’s been working on. But I also think that this adaptation will allow audiences to see what Wright is capable of.
The Running Man is deeper than just some modernized version of “The Most Dangerous Game.” It is a commentary on society, reality television, capitalism, how broken our systems are, and so much more. I cannot wait to see what this new adaptation of The Running Man brings to us.
And when everyone is obsessed with the layers that the film will inevitably have, know that I told you so.
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