The Running Man: Here are all of the Glasgow filming locations in Edgar Wright's 2025 remake - including the OVO Hydro
After shooting in Glasgow in 2024, The Running Man is now in cinemas - with plenty of the Scottish city appearing on the big screen.
After sprinting into cinemas last November, fans of The Running Man can officially watch the Edgar Wright film from home.
The English filmmaker’s spent a month filming the adaptation in Glasgow in 2024, turning the city streets into a bleak dystopian reality which may feel familiar to those who have read Stephen King’s original novel which Wright took his cues from.
So while some fans may be familiar with the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which the film pays homage to with some brief cameos throughout, it is overall more true to the book with Twisters star Glen Powell leading the cast.
As Ben Richards, he plays a working-class man attempting to secure medicine for his sick daughter after being blacklisted from various jobs in his city. Desperate to help his family, he ends up as a contestant on television’s deadliest reality show.
He stars alongside Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo and Lee Pace, who was spotted on set in Glasgow during filming as well as Powell, Katy O’Brian and more.
The Scottish city stands in for various locations scattered throughout the film’s dystopian version of 2025, including New York, Boston, and the fictional Co-Op City.
If you would like to know exactly where Scotland appears in The Running Man, here are all of the Glasgow filming locations.
The Running Man Glasgow filming locations
If you’re watching The Running Man, almost immediately you will be able to spot Glasgow. While for the most part the film shot in and around the city centre, some scenes were filmed in the West End, Trongate, and Hagill.
That’s without mentioning easily recognisable landmarks such as the SEC Armadillo and OVO Hydro, as well as spots in Glasgow Quay and even Chinatown Groceries.
However as the opening credits begin to roll, eagle eyed viewers will be able to immediately recognise Glasgow, which here stands in for Co-Op city’s “slumside”, with notable sections of brutalist architecture as well as more modern buildings and tenements helping to shape the run-down neighbourhood.
Union Place
Union Place - just off Gordon Street - is one of the first Glasgow locations to appear in The Running Man. It appeared heavily in stills and trailers from the film, which show Glen Powell walking with his hood up.
His character Richard walks through the alley of the Co-Op city slum and, perhaps concerningly, it hasn’t changed all that much despite the dystopian setting.
Anderston Centre
A number of Glasgow’s brutalist buildings then appear as Richards stalks towards the Network Building, including notably the Anderston Centre, which is where the film’s title appears.
The Savoy Centre
Following his movement through the Anderston Centre, Powell’s character then emerges onto Renfrew Street, outside of the Savoy Centre which is easily recognisable.
West Campbell Street
Powell then walks past Princes House on West Campbell Street, which appears as a pharmacy. The camera lingers on the long queue of people waiting anxiously for help outside of the building.
Glasgow City Centre
Other Glasgow City Centre locations include Cadogan Street, Cadogan Square, and Douglas Street. The Cadogan Street car park can be spotted in a sequence showcasing how The Running Man game works, with
Cadogan Square’s brutalist architecture partly stands in for the Network Building entrance, as do spots on Cadogan Street and Douglas Street.
Bothwell Street
Bothwell Street fills in for New York. Footage from filming shows the Hunters, led by Pace, on the street which has been kitted out with American fixtures and vintage cars. The clip also catches Powell in disguise, moving through a crowd of extras.
Glasgow West End
Residents in the West End of Glasgow were also able to catch a glimpse of filming as Kersland Street, Great George Street and Granby Lane were all used by The Running Man production.
A stunt scene involving two motorcycles was filmed in the area, with the exterior of a tenement block on Kersland Street used as the home of one character - though this was combined with shots from Haghill to create a unique environment for the film.
Granby Lane may also be recognisable to locals in one scene involving Powell, who brought his dog Brisket to the West End while filming.
Haghill
Streets around Haghill closed for filming included Aitken Street, Appin Road, Walter Street and Marwick Street which were all used as a run-down residential area in The Running Man.
Powell’s character spends time here lying low and looks across the empty plot of land.
No explanation is given in the film, however in reality this area was previously was home to Haghill Primary School. After closing in 2004 the building became derelict and was demolished in 2021.
Chinatown Groceries
Located on New City Road, Glasgow’s Chinatown Groceries also makes an appearance in The Running Man.
The building features in a scene which shows a past contestant on the reality show - present graffiti and all - though it has a slightly more interesting purpose than selling food in the film.
Alea Casino, Glasgow Quay
Glasgow’s Alea Casino was also used while filming The Running Man, specifically its interiors.
The casino’s distinct curvy ceilings can be spotted during a sequence in the film - also included in the film’s trailers -where another contestant, played by Katy O’Brian, attempts to escape Pace’s character and his Hunters,
The OVO Hydro and SEC Armadillo
However, the location which will be instantly recognisable to most Scottish people is the SEC Armadillo and the OVO Hydro.
It’s not the first time either venue has popped up on film, but it will mark the first time it has posed as a mega-casino. O’Brian’s character can be seen outside both, leaping across the bonnet of a car during her frantic escape.
What Glen Powell and Edgar Wright have said about filming in Glasgow
The Hollywood actor has shared anecdotes of his time in Glasgow, from taking his dog Brisket to the vet to posing for pictures with locals and visiting Grosvenor Picture Theatre.
He even told GQ about “a sketchy moment” when he was walking home late after shooting, describing how he looked up from his phone to see a group of around “15 or 20 guys that seemed pretty tough”.
He said: “...they looked up at me, and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m either about to be mugged or recognized.’ I can’t tell if they’re going to be like, ‘Hey, do you mind if we go get a selfie at 2:30 a.m.?’ Or is this a moment where I’m about to just get rocked?”
It clearly didn’t put Powell - who survived the encounter - off returning to Glasgow as he was spotted filming JJ Abrams’ upcoming untitled blockbuster in the city earlier this year.
Edgar Wright also shared that The Running Man was the coldest shoot of his career, due to filming in both Bulgaria and Scotland.
In an interview with Variety, he said: “I think I lost circulation in my leg. I had so many layers on, but it was the insidious cold of Glasgow. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get warm again.”
The Running Man (2025) is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
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