“The Running Man,” a 2025 dystopian action thriller, is set to hit theatres worldwide today, including Star Cineplex in Bangladesh. The film, directed by Edgar Wright, is based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Stephen King (written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman).

The movie stars Gavin Powell, William H Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jamie Lawson, Colman Domingo, and Josh Brolin. It has been produced under the banner of Paramount Pictures.

This latest adaptation is said to remain faithful to King’s original novel, unlike the 1987 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Set in a near-future dystopian world ravaged by economic collapse, mass unemployment, and totalitarian control, society is pacified through a brutal state-sponsored game show, “The Running Man.” The show forces desperate citizens—known as “runners”—to survive for 30 days while being hunted by a team of government assassins. Victory promises wealth and freedom, but failure means certain death.

Gavin Powell plays Ben Richards, an impoverished father who enters the deadly game to secure treatment for his gravely ill daughter. After losing his job for speaking out against the corrupt regime, Ben risks everything in one last act of defiance and hope. The film’s ending remains as powerful and ironic as the original novel, with director Edgar Wright promising a thought-provoking experience for audiences.