Edgar Wright, the film director who grew up in Wells, is set to direct a new adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Running Man.

Wright, who attended Wells Blue School from 1985 to 1992, is in discussions with Paramount Pictures over the movie, which is based on the futuristic novel that King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

The film will not be a remake of the 1987 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it will be co-written by Wright and will be more faithful to the original novel.

The news comes on the back of rave reviews for Wright's debut documentary The Sparks Brothers, that premiered in January at a virtual Sundance Film Festival.

The rights to this documentary, that chronicles the career of the rock duo Sparks, have now been acquired by Focus Features, with Universal Pictures distributing it internationally.

Wright's next movie, Last Night In Soho, is scheduled for a spring release, and he is also said to be looking at an adaptation of the Adrian McKinty novel The Chain and a possible follow up to the hugely-successful Baby Driver.