To save his sick daughter, a man becomes a contestant on a deadly televised game show in Director Edgar Wright’s dystopian action thriller, The Running Man.

Based on the futuristic story by Stephen King, Wright’s film presents the tale of Ben Richards, a father desperate for money who is convinced by a ruthless producer to enter a game where the contestants must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins. But against the odds, Ben’s defiance, instincts and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite, as ratings skyrocket, and he becomes a threat to the entire system.

On November 8, after the DGA membership screening in New York, Wright discussed the making of The Running Man during a Q&A moderated by Director Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning). He also spoke about the film with Director Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once) following the Los Angeles screening on November 9.

During the Los Angeles conversation, Wright shared his thoughts on the role of VFX vs practical FX in filmmaking.

“VFX shouldn’t be like a crutch, VFX should be to there to make something that’s already good look better. And I think what’s going to happen, is there’s sort of a laziness that’s crept into filmmaking where people just use VFX. I think it’s a false economy, you can shoot this stuff for real, and it will end up being cheaper than doing it with digital effects in the long run if it’s good. Make sure there’s always some element of real photography in the shot.”

Wright’s other directorial credits include the feature films, Last Night in Soho, Baby Driver, The World’s End, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Hot Fuzz and the BAFTA Award-nominated Shaun of the Dead; the feature documentary, The Sparks Brothers; and episodes of the television series, Spaced, Sir Bernard’s Stately Homes and Asylum. He has been a DGA member since 2008.