With ‘The Running Man,’ Glen Powell Will Try to Cement His Leading Man Status

At a time when the “leading man” feels like an endangered species in Hollywood, Glen Powell is giving it his best try to keep it alive. After leading the rom-com “Anyone But You” and the disaster thriller “Twisters” to box office success, the photogenic actor hopes to draw moviegoers to see him punch, shoot and stab his way out of repeated jams in an R-rated adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man” novel.

This will be the biggest test yet of Powell’s drawing power. The Paramount production is projected by trackers to earn an opening weekend of $23-25 million with Paramount projecting $20 million. Even meeting studio projections would…