Why Arnold Schwarzenegger handed off a forgotten sci-fi role to his son Patrick’s A-list friend

Arnold Schwarzenegger is passing the torch to his son Patrick's A-list friend, Glen Powell.

The remake of The Running Man is officially in the works, with Powell slated to star in the 2025 reboot of the cult sci-fi that originally starred the veteran actor in the lead role as Ben Richards.

The 36-year-old spoke with People Magazine in an article that came out on April 3, 2025, about how he and director Edgar Wright spoke to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Governor of California, 77, over FaceTime about the role he once held. Noting that The White Lotus season 3 star Patrick acted as his wingman, he revealed:

"Arnold gave us his blessing," Glen Powell said. "[His son] Patrick Schwarzenegger is a great friend of mine and I asked Patrick if I could talk to Arnold and I hadn't seen Arnold since we shot Expendables in Bulgaria."

Everything we know about Glen Powell's The Running Man as actor says he officially has Arnold Schwarzenegger's blessing:

As reported by the outlet, The Running Man is inspired by Stephen King's 1982 book of the same name. It chronicles the lives of contestants, or criminals "runners," in a game show where they must flee death from professional hitmen. She Knows has reported that the reboot is expected to stick to the darker aspects of the novel, minus the over-the-top action in the 80s film.

"Arnold gave us his full blessing and we get to give Arnold a very specific fun gift from the movie in a couple of weeks here. So I'm very excited to see him," the Anyone but You actor said.

Glen Powell has already been making strides in the industry with hits like Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, and Set It Up. His new film will bring together a star-studded cast, including Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo. The trio debuted the first preview of the film at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 3, generating traction for the film.

The remake will also star Lee Pace, Katy O'Brian, William H. Macy, Emilia Jones, and Michael Cera, and is expected to roll onto the big screen this November 7. Its initial counterpart was directed by Paul Michael Glaser, and its notable cast included María Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others.

Glen Powell is reportedly set to send his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a gift ahead of the film's release, though this remains to be confirmed. Details about what this gift could be also remain scarce.

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