Edgar Wright's Next Film Will Give Glen Powell His Biggest Test Yet

The ultra-charming and very handsome actor Glen Powell is having quite a run right now, but my dude is far from an overnight success. His first role was as "Long-fingered Boy" in Robert Rodriguez's "Spy Kids 3" more than 20 years ago (yes, really!), and since then, he's been steadily building his way to stardom. Small roles in "The Great Debaters," "The Dark Knight Rises," and "The Expendables 3" laid the groundwork for his star-making, charisma-filled performance in 2016's "Everybody Wants Some!!" In 2018, he helped resurrect the rom-com with the one-two punch of Netflix films "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" (a delightful and underrated gem) and the more popular "Set It Up" opposite Zoey Deutch, which launched him to Internet Boyfriend status. 

"Top Gun: Maverick" and "Anyone But You" have cemented him as one of the most exciting male actors of his generation — the type of guy who can seemingly do just about anything on screen. But since filmmaker Edgar Wright cast Powell in the lead role in his upcoming adaptation of "The Running Man" last week, we're about to find out if the still-rising star can successfully pull off a transition to a brand new phase of his career.

Ben Richards, the character Powell is playing in "The Running Man," was previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Paul Michael Glaser's 1987 adaptation of Stephen King/Richard Bachman's futuristic novel (much to King's chagrin), so naturally, comparisons will be made between the two actors. Fans have speculated that Wright's film could hew closer to the novel than the first movie did, resulting in a darker story than the '80s zany, brightly-colored vision of the future. Even if that's true, one thing's for sure: The premise, about a man who must enter and survive a dangerous game show, will almost certainly make this the most physically demanding movie of Powell's filmography.

Yes, Powell has appeared in action films before, including things like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Devotion," and he also has "Twisters" coming up. But in two of those movies, most of the action takes place in cockpits, and "Twisters" is more of an ensemble piece; "The Running Man" should be the first time we see Powell in all-out action mode, which could unlock a whole new lane for him as a movie star. I can't wait to see how he rises to the challenge.

I spoke about this and several other recent pieces of movie news on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:

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