When it comes to upcoming Stephen King movies I’ve been hyped to see, Edgar Wright’s The Running Man remake is definitely high up on the list. The dystopian thriller made for a great ‘80s action movie, but I’m just as fired up as Glen Powell is to see him star. As the production hits the ground running, the film has just found an official place among upcoming 2025 movies on November 21, 2025. However, I’m more excited about the actor who just joined the cast.
Katy O’Brian, who played Imperial communications officer Elia Kane in Seasons 2 and 3 of The Mandalorian, will star in Paramount’s The Running Man movie with Glen Powell, per The Hollywood Reporter. Star Wars aside, the 35-year-old actress has been really making a name for herself lately, between being part of the third Ant-Man movie, starring in Love Lies Bleeding earlier this year, and being cast in the next Mission: Impossible film, too.
O’Brian is a really interesting talent because her skill set and experiences are so diverse. She is a martial artist who has a black belt in hapkido. She also received a personal trainer certification at one point and was a bodybuilder who took part in competitions before starring with Kristen Stewart in a movie about the bodybuilding world, Love Lies Bleeding, which also became one of best A24 movies we’ve ever seen after it was released this year.
Not to mention, O’Brian was even a police officer in her home state of Indiana for some time before booking early roles in shows like The Walking Dead, Black Lightning and Westworld. She definitely gave a standout performance in The Mandalorian as a villainous character who is chosen to carry out Moff Gideon's orders.
It sounds like The Running Man could be a huge role for her. It makes sense given she had a small role on Twisters as a mechanic and member of the team Powell’s character of Tyler had put together for storm chasing.
In The Running Man, Glen Powell has been set to play the leading role of Ben Richards, whom Arnold Schwarzenegger played in the original 1987 film. The Running Man novel takes place in the year 2025, which makes the year it will be released absolutely perfect. It’s about Ben going ahead with a desperate attempt to bring in money for his family in the dystopian future by turning to something called The Games Network, which is a government-operated TV station that runs violent game shows. After going through a series of trials to be considered, Ben is selected to be part of the program.
Per the new report, O’Brian will play one of the fellow contestants in the program Ben fights to stay alive for his ill daughter and wife. As the rules in the novel goes, Ben earns $100 every hour he is able to stay alive in the program and avoids being captured. He can earn extra for every law enforcement officer or hunter he kills. If he survives for 30 days, he will receive the grand prize of $1 billion.
Edgar Wright, who has been behind movies like Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Baby Driver, is directing the movie and co-writing it with his Scott Pilgrim collaborator Michael Bacall. It’s time to count down the days for its holiday release date next November.
