Stephen King's Running Man Remake Changes Release Date, Evading Competition With Wicked Sequel

Edgar Wright's directing return will arrive sooner, as his adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man has been moved up the 2025 theatrical calendar. Previously adapted into the 1987 action thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie explored a dystopian future where incarcerated prisoners are forced to fight and evade a team of deadly hunters in a twisted reality television show. Wright's The Running Man stars Glen Powell, Katy O'Brian, Josh Broken, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, and William H. Macy.

While The Running Man marks Wright's long-awaited return since 2021's Last Night in Soho, Deadline is reporting that the release date for the remake is moving up in Paramount's schedule. After previously holding a November 21 release date, the action thriller has been moved up to release on November 7. This places the movie two weeks earlier than previously slated. This means the movie now evades competition with Wicked: For Good, following the initial movie's impressive box-office performance. Wicked: For Good is currently slated to release on November 21 by Universal.

Wicked's Performance Has Left High Expectations

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While Wright's The Running Man stands out as one of 2025's most anticipated movies thanks to Powell's continued leading man streak, O'Brian's success following her Love Lies Bleeding, and other factors, it is understandable why Paramount has chosen to move the film's release. Currently, Wicked is set to bring the 2024 movie slate to a close with an impressive box-office taking that has placed the musical as the third-best box-office performance domestically.

With this, Wicked: For Good has been elevated among 2025's most anticipated releases, as the initial movie defied early trepidation from audiences and brought much goodwill towards Jon M. Chu's Oz retelling. As such, The Running Man moving its date up offers the feature the best opportunity to gain a solid foothold before the sequel has the opportunity to dominate the box office.

Wicked even managed to stay in second place for many weeks, beating out new releases like Kraven the Hunter and Y2K in theaters.

This is evident with Wicked also defeating Ridley Scott's Gladiator II, which opened in the same week and came in second before dipping again with Moana 2's release. Wicked even managed to stay in second place for many weeks, beating out new releases like Kraven the Hunter and Y2K in theaters. Therefore, it makes sense that studios would want to avoid any direct competition with Wicked: For Good, given its strong potential at the box office.

Wright's Next Movie Wil Have A Greater Chance To Shine

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With its impressive cast and beloved director, audiences will be eager to see The Running Man upon its arrival in theaters. Despite it being a familiar tale, many may look forward to how Wright applies his style alongside how he may incorporate 28 years of media-landscape changes to modernize the tale.

Related The Running Man Remake: 10 Things From Stephen King's Book That The New Movie Must Get Right Edgar Wright's Running Man remake must capture these crucial elements from Stephen King's dark novel to deliver the adaptation fans deserve

As such, many cinemagoers and film aficionados may be breathing a sigh of relief alongside higher-ups at Paramount about its release change. Now no longer competing with Wicked: For Good, the movie has a solid fortnight to leave audiences invested before they return to the land of Oz, allowing viewers to enjoy and pour through Wright's reimagining of The Running Man with his trademark layered approach to filmmaking.

Source: Deadline

Your changes have been saved My List My Favorite Movies My Watchlist Success! The Running Man The Running Man, released in 2025, centers on a man participating in a perilous game show where contestants evade deadly "Hunters" in a global pursuit. Set in a dystopian future, the film explores themes of survival and societal manipulation within a high-stakes televised spectacle. Release Date November 21, 2025 Main Genre Action Cast Glen Powell , Katy O'Brian , Daniel Ezra , Karl Glusman , Josh Brolin , Lee Pace , Jayme Lawson , William H. Macy Character(s) Ben Richards , Uncredited , Sheila Richards Director Edgar Wright Writers Edgar Wright YouTube Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG6I65W-gf4&pp=ygUldGhlIHJ1bm5pbmcgbWFuIDIwMjUgb2ZmaWNpYWwgdHJhaWxlcg%3D%3D Expand

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