Edgar Wright to direct new adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man

According to Deadline, Wright will turn his attention to a new adaptation of Stephen King's 1982 novel The Running Man, which follows a contestant taking part in an extremely violent game show in a dystopian United States.

The novel, which was written by King under his Richard Bachman pseudonym, is set in 2025, with the US economy in a downward spiral and violence on the rise throughout the world.

This will not be the first time the book has been adapted for the screen – a 1987 film of the same name saw Arnold Schwarzenegger take on the lead role – but it's understood that this version will be much more faithful to the source material.

Wright will write the story alongside American screenwriter Michael Bacall, whom he previously worked with on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World just over a decade ago, with Bacall then writing the script.

A timescale for the new film has not yet been laid out, but it is being developed by Paramount and will reportedly become a priority for the studio – although the fact that Wright is also reportedly attached to numerous other projects could slow things down.

In recent months the director, whose previous films include the Cornetto trilogy and Baby Driver, has also been linked to an adaptation of the Adrian McKinty novel The Chain - a film about a robot learning to love titled Set My Heart to Five - as well as a ghost story called Stage 13, and a possible sequel to Baby Driver.

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