Colman Domingo’s villainous game show host in The Running Man was inspired by Jerry Springer. This revelation offers fans a fascinating glimpse into the character development process for the highly anticipated thriller.
The 55-year-old actor portrays presenter Bobby Thompson in director Edgar Wright’s upcoming thriller movie, and Domingo has revealed he based the character on the controversial late talk show host. Springer, who passed away in 2023, was known for his confrontational television style that dominated daytime TV for decades.
“Edgar and I were talking about all the differences of game show hosts and TV hosts, period, of different shows … I remember the documentary [‘Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action’] just landed and I thought, ‘This is interesting,'” speaking with Fandango, he said. The documentary examined his complex legacy in American television history.
“Someone who was just a guy with a role, and then he started to take off and started to feed into it as well and sort of bring out the worst in people in many ways. But also felt like he was not complicit at the same time.” This psychological complexity appears to be a key element that Domingo brought to his portrayal of Bobby Thompson.
The Sing Sing actor didn’t just take inspiration from Springer, even if a lot of the late host’s characteristics were incorporated into Bobby Thompson. Domingo’s approach reflects his reputation for deep character work and nuanced performances that have earned him critical acclaim throughout his career.
Domingo continued: “That’s interesting how he plays with the audience, how he gets the audience in the palm of his hand to the point, you know, yelling out ‘Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.’ This crowd manipulation technique became one of Springer’s most recognizable trademarks during his long-running show.
“Someone who wasn’t very well known but then made everyone believe he was, which was interesting. The transition from relative obscurity to cultural icon mirrors Springer’s own journey from local politician to nationally recognized television personality. So there is a lot of inspiration, but there are a lot of hosts in Bobby.”
This suggests Domingo’s character will be a composite of various television personalities rather than a direct portrayal of any single individual.
The Running Man, which is an adaptation of author Stephen King’s 1982 dystopian thriller novel of the same name, follows the desperate Ben Richards (Glen Powell) who signs on to participate in the TV game show “The Running Man,” where enemies of the state have to evade death at the hands of the game’s stalkers to try and win their freedom. The dystopian premise has drawn comparisons to contemporary reality television and social media culture.
The Running Man, which also stars Katy O’Brian, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera and Josh Brolin, will be the second cinematic adaptation of King’s book, with the first Running Man flick hitting the screen in 1987 and seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger portray Ben Richards. The ensemble cast features some of Hollywood’s most versatile talents, promising a fresh take on the material.
Recently, Powell revealed The Terminator icon gave him his blessing for The Running Man remake. This endorsement has helped generate positive buzz among fans of the original film who might otherwise be skeptical of a remake.
The Top Gun: Maverick star told People: “Arnold gave us his blessing. Patrick Schwarzenegger is a great friend of mine and I asked Patrick if I could talk to Arnold and I hadn’t seen Arnold since we shot ‘Expendables’ in Bulgaria. The connection between the new and original stars demonstrates the project’s respect for the 1987 version.
“Arnold gave us his full blessing and we get to give Arnold a very specific fun gift from the movie in a couple of weeks here. So I’m very excited to see him.” This suggests a possible cameo or reference to Schwarzenegger’s performance in the new adaptation.
Meanwhile, Wright said his version of The Running Man would be a closer adaptation of the book than the 1987 flick, and vowed his film would be a “very intense, dangerous movie”. Wright’s filmography, including Baby Driver and Shaun of the Dead, suggests he brings a unique visual style to the project.
Speaking with Empire magazine, the Baby Driver director explained: “One of the things about the book that I loved was the fact that Ben Richards is out in the world on his own, so it’s like the deadliest game of hide and seek. King’s original novel featured a significantly different tone and structure than the 1987 film adaptation.
“It does feel like making a road movie in a lot of ways: a very intense, dangerous road movie. Ben is moving through different environments and meeting different people as he tries to survive 30 days out in the wild.” This suggests the new film will emphasize the protagonist’s journey through a dystopian landscape rather than focusing primarily on the game show elements.
