Michael Cera and Emilia Jones lace up their shoes for “The Running Man.”
Both actors have signed on to co-star with Glen Powell in Paramount’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, which will be directed by Edgar Wright. For Serra, the move reunites him with the director who played one of his favorite roles, the romantic slacker Scott Pilgrim in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Josh Brolin, Katie O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) and Lee Pace are already on the call sheet for the film, which is scheduled to shoot in London early next year.
Published in 1982 and written under the pen name of Richard Bachman, The King’s Running Man is set in America in 2025 under a totalitarian regime that uses violent game shows to appease the disenfranchised masses. It was set on the stage.
The novel centers on the story of a desperate man named Ben Richards, who needs money for his sick daughter, and takes part in the most popular show, “Running Man,” where a team of hitmen hunts down the contestants. It is being expanded to. The longer a contestant survives, the more money he earns. But as the game show’s producers and hitmen will find out, this desperate man will break all the rules and expose the show’s dark secrets.
Opposite Powell’s Richards, Jones plays a privileged woman who is unaware of government oppression.
Sera plays a naive rebel who tries to help a desperate man.
Meanwhile, Brolin plays the game show’s ruthless producer, O’Brian plays one of the show’s contestants, and Pace plays the brutal head hunter tracking Powell’s character.
Paramount plans to release the film on November 21, 2025, with Simon Kinberg, Nira Park and Wright serving as producers.
Last year, Serra reprized his role as Pilgrim in Netflix’s acclaimed animated show Scott Pilgrim Take Off. The actor had a scene-stealing cameo in Barbie and co-starred opposite Amy Schumer in the Hulu drama Life & Beth.
Jones, who was one of the stars of Netflix’s Locke & Key series, has spent time since winning an Oscar for CODA starring in several independent films, including Susannah. Office reality winners include Vogel’s 2023 “Cat Person” and “Winner,” in which he played a former U.S. Air Force character.
Cera is repped by CAA, Thruline Entertainment and Lichter Grossman. Jones is repped by CAA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Artist Rights Group in the UK.
