STACK #257 March 2026

MOVIE FEATURE

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GENRE: Action RUN TIME: 125 mins

THE RUNNING MAN SET TO CRUISE MODE! Decades after Stephen King’s The Running Man first hit page and screen, the deadly game returns – bigger, bolder, and closer to the original vision than ever.

In the film, Arnold Schwarzenegger makes an appearance on the currency as the President of the United States. FUN FACT

S et in a near-future society, The Running Man focuses on a top-rated TV reality show of the same name – a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins. When you’re starring in a film called The Running Man , you better be sure you look cool when you’re running. Thus, Glen Powell – in the titular role - turned to none other than his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise. “When

soon as possible. You don’t look as cool as you think you do’,” Powell told STACK in Las Vegas. “And so I did. And the fun part is, you talk to these running coaches, and they’re like: There’s only one actor that knows how to run on screen – and it’s Tom Cruise,” says the Twisters star. Powell plays Ben Richards, a working-class man railing against the corporate world who turns to a popular reality game show as a last resort to save his sick daughter. His defiance and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favourite – and thereby a threat to the entire system. The second adaptation of King’s novel, director Edgar Wright believes his version is truer to the source material. “The real story in that book has never quite

been told the way it was written, so when I got the opportunity to make this film the way that I’ve always seen it, I jumped right in,” says the British director.

“ The Running Man is one of those movies that gives the audience someone to cheer for. At the centre of it is Ben Richards, a regular guy in a crazy not very different future where the world and media have gone out of control,”

he says, noting, “And it’s worth pointing out that Stephen King’s original book was set in 2025.” Gill Pringle

I was first cast, Tom

was my first call. He said: ‘Film yourself running as

• The Running Man is out Mar 18

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

The Long Walk, The Hunger Games, Children of Men, The Maze Runner

GENRE: Thriller RUN TIME: 126 mins THE HOUSEMAID GOOD HELP IS HARD TO FIND You can just tell that Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney are having a real hoot in glossy, twisty thriller, The Housemaid .

FUN FACT

B ased on Freida McFadden’s wildly popular novel, the film plays like a modern gothic fairy tale set in a pristine mansion where nothing is as clean or calm as it looks. At the centre are Seyfried and Sweeney, their simmering tension making it impossible to look away as you wait for the next shoe to drop. Sweeney plays Millie, a young woman with a troubled past who takes on a live-in housemaid job that feels too good to be true, while Seyfried is Nina, the wealthy, beautiful, and increasingly unhinged woman of the house. A huge fan of McFadden’s 2022 bestseller, Sweeney ripped through its pages. “It’s one of those stories that plays directly into human fears we all share. But also, the way Freida tied together the characters, the twists, and the

tonality so that you never leave the edge of your

“Nina is the most fun I’ve had with a role since Mean Girls ,” says Seyfried, 40. “She’s so multifaceted, and there are so many dynamics at play within her, it gave me incredible freedom and energy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character quite like this in any movie.” “Amanda brought out so many surprising layers in Nina,” says Sweeney, 28. “I loved every minute working with her, because just as you never know what to expect from Nina, you never knew where Amanda would take

A sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret , has already been greenlit, with Paul Feig returning to direct.

seat was something truly special. I could not put it down,” says the Anyone But You star. Seyfried echoes those thoughts, “It’s the kind of incredible book that completely takes you away. It’s exciting, it’s salacious, it’s dark, and it’s funny. It's all the things you crave in a good thriller and exactly the kind of story that translates beautifully into multi-dimensional life on the screen.” What really makes The Housemaid work is the dynamic between the pair, their scenes together charged with passive aggressive politeness, sideways glances, and conversations that feel like verbal minefields.

things, and it was great fun keeping up with her.” Gill Pringle

• The Housemaid is out Mar 25

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Blink Twice, A Simple Favour, The Girl on the Train, The Invisible Man

26 MARCH 2026

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