Glen Powell runs for his life, battles Josh Brolin’s maniacal TV exec in intense ‘Running Man’ first look

Glen Powell is running — literally — for his life.

The intense first look at his new film, The Running Man, debuted at CinemaCon on Thursday and introduced Powell’s plucky Ben Richards, the hero of Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name, written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. As in the book, the trailer shows Richards becoming a runner on the deranged game show The Running Man, in which contestants must survive for a period of time as murderous “stalkers” try to hunt them down.

The trailer shows Powell jumping down elevator shafts, getting shot at, tossing grenades, and giving the finger to the floating cameras that record his progress for the show’s bloodthirsty viewers. We’re also introduced to Josh Brolin‘s villainous TV exec, Dan Killian, and Colman Domingo’s flamboyant host, Bobby Thompson.

Powell was joined by Brolin, Domingo, and director Edgar Wright on stage to present the footage. “I’ve never worked harder on a movie in my life,” the Top Gun: Maverick star told the audience. Powell said he didn’t expect to feel like he was actually running for his life while filming, but joked that that’s what he gets for listening to Tom Cruise about doing his own stunts.

The story for the new Running Man was co-written by Wright and Michael Bacall, who wrote the script for the director’s 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

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The Running Man was first adapted into a 1987 film, set in a dystopian 2019, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The new Running Man, which also features William H. Macy, Katy O’Brian, Michael Cera, Sean Hayes, and Lee Pace, among others, is slated to race into theaters on Nov. 7.