Glen Powell is a movie star. No, really. An actual movie star. He's headlined multiple box office hits, won the hearts and minds of critics, and played the celebrity/promo game about as well as anybody in the last decade.
Glen Powell is also very busy. The perks of being a newly minted movie star is that every studio in Hollywood wants to cast you in their next hit. It'll be a hit because it'll be good (hopefully), but it'll also be a hit because someone as popular as Powell slaps their name on it.
We've noticed a specific trend among the films that Powell has attached himself to, however. The headline of this article gives it away, so we won't beat around the bush: remakes. Powell is modeling himself after the A-list stars of yesteryear by literally remaking proven hits.
There are so many planned Powell remakes, in fact, that we decided to make this handy guide to get them all straight. Let's ride, shall we?
The Running Man
The Running Man is set to begin shooting this fall. The original 1987 film took the premise of a Stephen King novel and reworked it as an action vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger. It worked perfectly. The film was a box office hit, and has subsequently become a cult favorite.
The remake, however, is rumored to stick much closer to the source material. Powell will play more of an everyman than his Austrian predecessor, and director Edgar Wright has reportedly created a more detailed dystopian setting. "The world that Edgar's developed on this thing is just outrageous," Powell told IndieWire. "It's so good."
We have a feeling the film will be pretty good, too.
Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait (1978) is the rare romantic comedy that was shown love at the Academy Awards. It received a staggering nine nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. Powell would be stepping into the esteemed shows of Warren Beatty, but it's worth noting that Heaven Can Wait was also a remake, so there is a precedent.
Powell has proven that he can do romantic comedy with films like The Set Up (2018) and Hitman (2023). The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Stephen Gaghan has been brought on to write the screenplay. Gaghan has stated that the film will deviate from the original, and present a fresh story while maintaining the same reincarnation premise.
The man won an Oscar for penning Traffic in 2000, so he probably knows what he's doing.
Backdraft
Glen Powell as a firefighter? That seems like an easy sell for Universal Pictures, who have already tried and failed to get a Backdraft remake off the ground. The original film was a massive hit that helped to boost the stardom of William Baldwin in 1991, and the thinking is that Powell could get a similar bump from playing the same tortured protagonist.
Brian Grazer, a producer best known for his work with original Backdraft director Ron Howard, teased the possibility of a Powell-led remake during a CNBC interview in July. Grazer seemed confident, but it's worth noting that neither Howard nor Powell have confirmed the film to be in the works.
As it stands, Backdraft is the rumored remake that's more rumor than actual remake.
Bonus: Top Gun 3
Yes, technically Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and the impending Top Gun 3 are sequels, but let's be honest: they're glorified remakes. The former was blatant rehash of the original with better stunts. Glen Powell stole the show as Hangman, and has already confirmed that he will be returning for the third film alongside Tom Cruise.
The most exciting thing about another Top Gun film is the chance to explore new territory. It would be great to see Cruise's Maverick and Powell's Hangman develop their relationship, and given that Powell has effectively become a Cruise protege since 2022, we feel good about the chances of him getting more screen time.