The Running Man Reboot Cast Revealed: Old vs New—Who’s Playing Each Role in the New Stephen King Adaptation

Edgar Wright is hauling The Running Man back into the arena in 2025, and it looks like this version isn’t shy about getting messy. Glen Powell is your new Ben Richards. Yes, Arnold owned the role back in 1987. This time, though, the story is leaning much closer to Stephen King’s original 1982 novel.

Old vs. new: who’s playing who

• Ben Richards: Arnold Schwarzenegger (1987) → Glen Powell (2025)
• Contestants who help Richards: Yaphet Kotto, Marvin J. McIntyre → Michael Cera, Katy O'Brien
• Lead hunter/main villain: Jesse Ventura → Lee Pace as Evan McCone
• Show curators: Richard Dawson → Josh Brolin as Dan Killian (producer), Colman Domingo as Bobby Thompson (host)

Ben Richards: from action tank to desperate dad

In the 1987 film, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Ben Richards is basically built like a tank and thrown into a state-sanctioned bloodsport to win back his freedom. It’s pure 80s action-hero energy.

Glen Powell’s take is a different engine: his Ben is a struggling father trying to save his sick daughter. He signs up not to be a hero, but because he has no choice. That motivation lines up with King’s novel, where the system pushes a broke family man into the grinder.

Allies in the game: new faces, familiar function

Back in 1987, William Laughlin (Yaphet Kotto) and Harold Weiss (Marvin J. McIntyre) were invented for the movie and gave Arnie’s Ben some much-needed backup and humanity. Those two weren’t in King’s book, but they worked on screen.

In Wright’s version, Michael Cera plays Elton Parrakis, and he helps Ben. Katy O’Brien shows up as Laughlin. That name is a nod to the 1987 character, so it’s fair to expect she’ll be on Ben’s side too, though the exact dynamic hasn’t been spelled out yet.

The hunter: swagger vs. menace

Jesse Ventura’s Captain Freedom was a highlight in the 1987 film: a retired gladiator with showmanship and a mean streak. This time, Lee Pace is playing Evan McCone, and that signals a darker, more intimidating presence. McCone is a straight pull from the novel and reads more like a relentless, clinical threat than a TV showman.

Who runs the show: one villain becomes two

Richard Dawson’s Damon Killian in the 80s movie was a slick, sadistic producer/host hybrid who turned murder into primetime entertainment. Wright’s adaptation splits that job in two to match the book’s setup: Josh Brolin plays Dan Killian, the calculating producer behind the scenes, and Colman Domingo is Bobby Thompson, the on-air host selling the spectacle.

So, is this the bloodier Running Man?

From the casting and the shift toward King’s characters and tone, it sure looks like Wright’s version is going sharper and meaner. It’s been almost four decades since the original hit theaters, and somehow this premise feels even more current now. The big question is obvious: can Glen Powell match or even outdo Arnold’s cult-classic run? Different flavors, same lethal game.

The Running Man (2025) hits theaters on November 14, 2025. If you want a refresher (or just need to hear Dawson say, 'Killian!'), the 1987 film is streaming on Paramount+ in the US.