Stephen King’s 1982 novel “The Working Man” is a gritty dystopian motion thriller with a scrappy protagonist named Ben Richards. It was tailored right into a campy film in 1987 that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and has since been re-adapted right into a film for audiences in 2025. This new movie, starring Glen Powell as Ben Richards, is presenting itself as a combination between King’s ebook and the ’87 “Working Man” film; it options numerous the campier components of the Schwarzenegger movie, but it surely additionally seems to be following the fundamental plot factors of the unique novel.
Most likely the largest adaptive flourish obvious within the trailer is the casting of Powell as Richards. In King’s novel, the character is athletic sufficient to do properly within the Working Man sport present, however he is additionally malnourished on account of the poverty he endured for many years previous to the story’s inciting incident. However when Powell has talked about Richards from the ebook, it looks as if he is pondering extra concerning the Schwarzenegger model as an alternative.
“I knew that based mostly on the Stephen King ebook, Ben Richards was a tank,” as Powell beforehand defined in a GQ profile. “I used to be like, ‘Okay, I obtained to be a little bit of a weapon.’ And in order that’s why I educated the way in which I educated on this. I placed on numerous muscle. Loads of it was useful. Loads of it was so I may soak up hits. However numerous it was additionally authentically for an viewers.”
After all, not each film adaptation must be trustworthy to the ebook, and a model of “The Working Man” that includes a buff protagonist is not inherently unhealthy. So, if Powell was aiming to painting a muscular, flashy lead, it is good that motion legend Tom Cruise was round to assist him out. As Powell defined to GQ, Cruise not solely suggested him on how one can prepare for the movie’s huge stunts, however he additionally helped him turn into the tank that Ben Richards is seemingly speculated to be. As Powell put it:
“I went from going, ‘Oh, I am an actor on a film’ to ‘I am a high-performance athlete.’ And I am simply very fortunate that I’ve somebody like Tom who I may actually go, ‘Hey, what do I do to outlive one thing?'”
Glen Powell and Tom Cruise turned shut due to Prime Gun: Maverick
Powell labored alongside “Cruise” on the set of “Prime Gun: Maverick,” though he nearly did not star within the film in any respect. As Cruise advised GQ in the identical profile, Powell had tried out for the function of Goose’s son, who ended up being performed by Miles Teller; Powell was as an alternative supplied the minor function of Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin, however he initially declined. It merely wasn’t the main function he was in search of.
Cruise satisfied him to take the job anyway, and the 2 seem to have developed a pleasant mentor/mentee relationship since then. Powell recalled how Cruise gave him recommendation not simply on how one can prepare his physique, but in addition on how one can take care of all the additional consideration that is come along with his rise in fame. As Powell defined:
“He mainly mentioned, ‘Hey, it should get actually, actually loud. It is your job to simply flip the quantity down. Simply keep in mind you will have your hand on that change. You could have your hand on the power to show up that noise or flip it down.’ And actually simply turning down the noise and trusting your personal intestine has been an actual godsend for me.”
Cruise’s mentorship of Powell is sensible on condition that the youthful actor has related desires of being a long-lasting A-list star, i.e. somebody who may even be main his personal eight-part motion movie sequence down the road (à la Cruise and the “Mission: Unimaginable” films). Like Cruise, Powell additionally has a handsome-yet-distinct face and has proven himself able to appearing with much more vary than many give him credit score for (particularly in films like “Hit Man”). Powell might not have what it takes to offer a 100% book-accurate depiction of Ben Richards from “The Working Man,” however he does appear prepared to stay round on the large display for many years to return.
“The Working Man” will open in theaters on November 14, 2025.
Stephen King’s 1982 novel “The Working Man” is a gritty dystopian motion thriller with a scrappy protagonist named Ben Richards. It was tailored right into a campy film in 1987 that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and has since been re-adapted right into a film for audiences in 2025. This new movie, starring Glen Powell as Ben Richards, is presenting itself as a combination between King’s ebook and the ’87 “Working Man” film; it options numerous the campier components of the Schwarzenegger movie, but it surely additionally seems to be following the fundamental plot factors of the unique novel.
Most likely the largest adaptive flourish obvious within the trailer is the casting of Powell as Richards. In King’s novel, the character is athletic sufficient to do properly within the Working Man sport present, however he is additionally malnourished on account of the poverty he endured for many years previous to the story’s inciting incident. However when Powell has talked about Richards from the ebook, it looks as if he is pondering extra concerning the Schwarzenegger model as an alternative.
“I knew that based mostly on the Stephen King ebook, Ben Richards was a tank,” as Powell beforehand defined in a GQ profile. “I used to be like, ‘Okay, I obtained to be a little bit of a weapon.’ And in order that’s why I educated the way in which I educated on this. I placed on numerous muscle. Loads of it was useful. Loads of it was so I may soak up hits. However numerous it was additionally authentically for an viewers.”
After all, not each film adaptation must be trustworthy to the ebook, and a model of “The Working Man” that includes a buff protagonist is not inherently unhealthy. So, if Powell was aiming to painting a muscular, flashy lead, it is good that motion legend Tom Cruise was round to assist him out. As Powell defined to GQ, Cruise not solely suggested him on how one can prepare for the movie’s huge stunts, however he additionally helped him turn into the tank that Ben Richards is seemingly speculated to be. As Powell put it:
“I went from going, ‘Oh, I am an actor on a film’ to ‘I am a high-performance athlete.’ And I am simply very fortunate that I’ve somebody like Tom who I may actually go, ‘Hey, what do I do to outlive one thing?'”
Glen Powell and Tom Cruise turned shut due to Prime Gun: Maverick
Powell labored alongside “Cruise” on the set of “Prime Gun: Maverick,” though he nearly did not star within the film in any respect. As Cruise advised GQ in the identical profile, Powell had tried out for the function of Goose’s son, who ended up being performed by Miles Teller; Powell was as an alternative supplied the minor function of Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin, however he initially declined. It merely wasn’t the main function he was in search of.
Cruise satisfied him to take the job anyway, and the 2 seem to have developed a pleasant mentor/mentee relationship since then. Powell recalled how Cruise gave him recommendation not simply on how one can prepare his physique, but in addition on how one can take care of all the additional consideration that is come along with his rise in fame. As Powell defined:
“He mainly mentioned, ‘Hey, it should get actually, actually loud. It is your job to simply flip the quantity down. Simply keep in mind you will have your hand on that change. You could have your hand on the power to show up that noise or flip it down.’ And actually simply turning down the noise and trusting your personal intestine has been an actual godsend for me.”
Cruise’s mentorship of Powell is sensible on condition that the youthful actor has related desires of being a long-lasting A-list star, i.e. somebody who may even be main his personal eight-part motion movie sequence down the road (à la Cruise and the “Mission: Unimaginable” films). Like Cruise, Powell additionally has a handsome-yet-distinct face and has proven himself able to appearing with much more vary than many give him credit score for (particularly in films like “Hit Man”). Powell might not have what it takes to offer a 100% book-accurate depiction of Ben Richards from “The Working Man,” however he does appear prepared to stay round on the large display for many years to return.
“The Working Man” will open in theaters on November 14, 2025.
