Josh Brolin is entering what he calls one of the most rewarding years of his career, headlined by his highly anticipated collaboration with Edgar Wright in The Running Man.
The action-thriller hits theaters November 14, marking a project nearly two decades in the making since Brolin and Wright first met at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
“There’s a picture that I showed Edgar of me kissing his cheek that I’m sure was drunkenly,” Brolin told The Hollywood Reporter. “Cannes was the beginning for us, and through the years, we’d always talk about working together.”
Brolin stars as Dan Killian, the ruthless executive producer behind the film’s deadly competition series, opposite Glen Powell and Colman Domingo. Unlike the 1987 adaptation, Wright’s version stays closer to Stephen King’s original story, separating Killian from the show’s host.
Brolin drew inspiration from real-life executives and billionaires. “When you’d take somebody out and get them drunk, they’d reveal stuff to you that you didn’t even particularly want to hear,” he said.
“It was useful to think back on all those useless nights and realise, ‘Oh, I can use that.’”
Reflecting on his packed year, which also includes Weapons and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Brolin admits it’s been one of his most fulfilling.
“I did five movies back to back, so I’m really happy with the year. Sometimes, you’re not as happy with the choices. It’s not just based on audience reaction; it’s based on how I feel about the movie. But I feel really good about what we did,” he elucidated.
The Running Man opens exclusively in theaters on November 14.
