‘The Runner’ Trailer Sends Gal Gadot Racing Through London With Only One Hour to Save Her Son
Gal Gadot has built a reputation for leading high-stakes action projects, but her newest thriller strips away the superhero spectacle in favor of something far more personal and immediate. Coming off roles that spanned everything from DC’s Wonder Woman to Netflix’s globe-trotting heist franchises, Gadot is shifting into a grounded, real-time thriller that puts the pressure entirely on the clock.
The project pairs her with director Kevin Macdonald, a filmmaker known for tense, character-driven storytelling across films like ‘The Last King of Scotland’ and ‘The Mauritanian.’ That pedigree suggested from the start that this would be less about explosive set pieces and more about sustained, claustrophobic tension.
Prime Video has now confirmed exactly what audiences can expect. ‘The Runner’ follows a mother with just one hour and one chance to save her son, with the film streaming September 2 and starring Gadot alongside Damian Lewis.
At the center of the story is Gadot’s character, a successful London-based attorney whose life is upended when her son is abducted. Forced to follow a series of cryptic commands from a mysterious caller, she is sent racing across the city in a desperate bid to save him before time runs out.
That premise puts London itself front and center as a kind of obstacle course, with the film reportedly shot across locations including Kentish Town, Regent’s Canal, St Pancras Way, and Canary Wharf. The choice to keep the action moving through so many distinct parts of the city suggests a story built around constant, unrelenting momentum rather than a single static setting.
Damian Lewis joins Gadot in a role that has remained largely under wraps throughout the marketing rollout. Early set photos showed his character dressed in a formal black trench coat with a controlled, observational presence near Gadot’s character and her son, though his exact function in the story has yet to be officially confirmed.
The film marks the first production out of Rockwood Pictures, the newly formed company founded by producer David Kosse. Kosse brings serious industry credibility to the project, having previously worked on films like ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.’
Macdonald directs from a script written by Mark Gibson, whose previous credits include ‘Snow Dogs’ and ‘The Wild.’ Amazon MGM Studios holds worldwide distribution rights to the film, continuing the streamer’s push into star-driven original thrillers.
Production on ‘The Runner’ began in April of 2025 and wrapped that summer, with the film shot entirely on location in London. The Motion Picture Association has since given the film a PG-13 rating, citing violent content, some bloody images, sexual material, strong language, and a drug reference.
Are you excited to see Gal Gadot in The Runner?
This marks something of a tonal shift for Gadot following her turn as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action ‘Snow White,’ returning her to the kind of high-intensity thriller work that made her a global action star in the first place. Unlike her more fantastical roles, ‘The Runner’ appears to ground its tension in something far more relatable, a parent’s desperate fight to protect their child.
The film also fits into an increasingly busy upcoming slate for the actress, who has projects like ‘Bitcoin’ alongside Casey Affleck and Pete Davidson, along with the World War II drama ‘Ruin,’ currently in various stages of development. That range suggests Gadot is deliberately diversifying beyond the franchise blockbusters that first made her a household name.
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