We have four months left of 2025 movie releases, and among the ones I’m looking forward to is The Running Man. Adapted from the same-named 1982 novel by Stephen King, this October flick will follow Glen Powell’s Ben Richards, who will compete in The Running Man game show and attempt to survive for 30 days in order to win $1 billion. Colman Domingo’s Bobby Thompson hosts the show, and while the teases of his electric personality were already enough to pique my interest, I’m more psyched to see the actor’s performance after reading about how Jerry Springer inspired his performance.
During an interview with EW, Domino explained how he felt like he “was in a whole different film than anyone else” because Bobby is only seen through the TV, so “we don't take him out of the context of the show.” So in order to flesh out the character, the Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor took a cue from the late Jerry Springer right before filming began. As he recalled:
Literally the night before I went to set, they released the Jerry Springer two-part documentary, and I sat up and watched it, and I thought, whoa, whoa, this is incredible. And I looked at that. What I love is the idea that Jerry Springer as a host was sort of inciting and letting people — knowing the ills of our society — letting the people do what they need to do on a platform and really let them engage in the worst behavior and still feel like he had nothing to do with it. He's just there moving the show along. I felt like, what an interesting strategic way to abstain from any responsibility of what happens on that set.
In the first trailer for The Running Man, we see Bobby Thompson announcing the game show to a lively crowd and viewers that “bloodlust is our right. Set it free!”, and that in America, “we don’t put up with no bullshit.” It already looks like Colman Domingo will be this movie’s breakout actor, though it was daunting for him at first for him to tackle this role. Then inspiration struck after watching Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.
Of course, while things would occasionally get violent on The Jerry Springer Show, no one was getting killed like they do on The Running Man. So as we’re watching Bobby Thompson “operating, manipulating, charming, not only the studio audience, but the guests as well,” he’s also doing whatever it takes to ensure that his TV show remains popular. Colman Domingo continued:
He's thinking, what next? What will people tune into next that is the most horrific thing that we can't even imagine? He helps incite that, and really riles people up, and that's who he is. He's also very stylish, and I like to believe that he is the guy that guys want to be like him, and girls fall in love with him.
Bobby Thompson wasn’t included was in the 1987 film adaptation of The Running Man, which has its fans, but also deviated significantly from the source material. So Colman Domingo gets to bring this character to life in a cinematic setting for the first time, and thinking of Bobby as a Jerry Springer-type figure in a dystopic setting makes the character sound even better. Domingo and Glen Powell’s costars include Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones and William H. Macy, among others.
The Running Man will be released in theaters on November 14. The 1987 version can be streamed now with a Paramount+ subscription, which is also how you’ll be able to access this new adaptation once its theatrical run and home media rollout is finished.
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