The Runner
Short description
The Runner is an action thriller centered on Maia Marten, a successful London lawyer. During a morning run, she receives a phone call informing her that her son has been kidnapped. To rescue her child, she is forced to navigate the city of London while following the harsh demands of a mysterious caller. The plot focuses on a race against time, testing the limits of a mother's determination as she follows orders and struggles with whom to trust.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald, this is the 13th film in the director's chronological body of work, following the 2025 release One to One: John & Yoko. The screenplay was written by Mark Gibson and produced by David Kosse. The movie features Gal Gadot in the lead role as Maia, with Damian Lewis playing The Caller. Other cast members include Rory Wilmot, Alfred Enoch, Pierre Bergman, and Phoenix Di Sebastiani, as part of a credited cast of 43 people. A crew of 108 contributed to the production, which was a joint effort between the United Kingdom and the United States through Amazon MGM Studios, Pilot Wave Motion Pictures, and Rockwood Pictures. Since its release on September 3, 2026, the film has received a rating of 6.8/10 on TMDB based on 536 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- The heroine’s route takes in Hampstead Heath, Kentish Town, Regent’s Canal, Canary Wharf, Covent Garden, King’s Cross station, the City, the Millennium and Waterloo bridges and the museum ship HMS Belfast on the Thames.
- While preparing for the role, Gal Gadot trained with Olympic sprinter Malakai Davis to improve her running technique and prepare for the heavy physical demands.
- According to Gal Gadot, she broke both of her feet during filming and performed the remaining scenes on crutches.
- The cinematographer is Anthony Dod Mantle, who won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire.
- Despite a 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film became No. 1 on Prime Video in the US and the UK in its first week and was leading in 38 countries by 4 September.
- Filming ran from 22 April to early July 2025.
- Filming took place in London. The city streets were not closed off, so the film captured the genuine reactions of passersby who saw Gal Gadot running.
- According to Nielsen, the film was watched for a total of 368 million minutes between 31 August and 6 September.
- The film unfolds almost in real time: the heroine has about an hour to save her son.
- Almost the entire film was shot on real London streets: they were not closed off, Gal Gadot ran among ordinary passers-by and the cameras were hidden.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
