Glen Powell had Edgar Wright at the top of his director wish-list at the start of his career.
The Twisters actor had the Shaun of the Dead filmmaker’s name at the top of his wish list and they are now gearing up work together on a new version of The Running Man.
“What’s happening right now is some of my favourite filmmakers have raised their hands to say, ‘Hey, I’d love to work together.’ That’s pretty silly,” he told Yahoo Entertainment. “Edgar Wright was at the top of my list, I searched his name in my email because I was putting something together, and his name came up on what was essentially a vision board. It was a wish list of directors I hoped I’d get to work with when I first moved out to L.A. in 2008 and (Wright) was at the top of the list.”
He added, “You know, Tom Cruise was one of my favourite actors as a kid, and Wright’s one of my favourite filmmakers. Getting to occupy all these worlds I wanted to occupy… It’s really wild.”
Powell, who worked with Cruise on Top Gun: Maverick, added that you “can’t force” dream collaborations to happen, you have to simply “keep your head down and hustle” and hope the hard work pays off.
The Running Man, a dystopian sci-fi based on a novel by Stephen King, follows the contestants of a reality show who have to evade a team of hitman sent to kill them in order to win a cash prize. The lead character, Ben Richards, was previously portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987.
Production on the new version is set to begin in November. No other cast members have been announced yet.