Gal Gadot is trading her superhero costume for running shoes in her newest action movie, The Runner. The film lands on Prime Video on September 2, 2026. Gadot plays a London attorney whose regular morning jog turns into a life-or-death race after her son gets kidnapped.
The 84-minute thriller comes from Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland). It also stars Damian Lewis (Billions) as the mysterious caller who gives orders over the phone. Other cast members include Rory Wilmot, Alfred Enoch, and Phoenix Di Sebastiani.
Gal Gadot Trained for Nine Months With an Olympic Coach
Gadot admitted she hated running before taking this role. She told the Associated Press that she looked like “Phoebe from Friends” when she first started running. The character Phoebe Buffay had a famously awkward running style with wild arm and leg movements.
“Running is not a part of my life. I hated running before so I had to literally learn how to run and prep for nine months,” Gadot said at the Los Angeles premiere.
She worked with Malachi Davis, a former British Olympic sprinter, who taught her proper running technique. Gadot also had another trainer named Harley who helped with strength work. The training was intense because the movie required her to run constantly during filming.
“In nine months, we’ve been training and working and making sure that I’ll be ready,” she told ABC7.
The Movie Demanded Non-Stop Running and Broke Both Her Feet
The physical demands of The Runner went beyond anything Gadot had done before. She spent entire shooting days running, something she never experienced even after years of action movies.
“It was a whole different thing. When you prep for an action film, yes, you do all the workouts and you learn the different stunt choreography and all of that. But for this one, literally I had to do stunts all day. You have to do the scenes while running all the time,” Gadot told Men’s Journal.
The actress suffered serious injuries during production. She broke both feet while filming and actually finished the movie on crutches.
“I finished the film on crutches, of course, because I’m just a person, a human,” she said.
The production team had to film some scenes again later because of her injuries. Gadot told People magazine that she knew injuries could happen when making a physical movie and accepted it as part of the process.
Director Kevin Macdonald Put Her in a Real-World Setting
Macdonald wanted to take an actress audiences know as Wonder Woman and place her in a more recognizable world. The movie strips away superhero costumes and world-ending stakes. Maia Marten just needs to save one child.
The film is set across London’s streets and underground tunnels. The camera crew had to use skateboards and rollerblades to keep up with Gadot while filming.
“We had to be very thoughtful about the way that we film things,” Gadot said.
The Plot Puts a Mother Against the Clock
Gadot plays Maia Marten, a high-powered lawyer at the top of London’s legal world. During her routine morning run, she gets a phone call from her son’s phone. But the person on the other end tells her the boy has been kidnapped.
The rules are simple and cruel: keep moving, follow every command, and tell no one. If she stops, her son dies.
Forced to sprint through London while following sinister orders, Maia must figure out how far she will go to bring her son home. The movie has a one-hour time limit for her to complete the tasks.
Gadot said the script hooked her immediately. “From the moment I picked up the script, I could not stop reading it. It was such an easy read. It grabbed me from the get-go, and I love the ending,” she told Moviefone.
She added that the twists and turns sold her on the project. “Usually, you watch a movie, and halfway in, you kind of know where it’s going. Not with The Runner. Not with this one,” she said.
Gadot Channeled Tom Cruise Energy for the Action Scenes
The actress told Men’s Journal she channeled Tom Cruise‘s energy for the physically demanding role. Cruise is known for doing his own stunts in action movies.
When asked about her workout music, Gadot revealed she listens to The Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” when she needs to get motivated.
Despite the months of training and injuries, Gadot said she feels satisfied with the result. “I’ve never done anything like this before. It was so intense,” she told ABC7. “I am so excited and satisfied that I finally get to share this film with everybody”.
The Movie Premiered in Los Angeles Before Global Streaming
Amazon MGM Studios hosted the world premiere of The Runner on August 27, 2026, at Harmony Gold Preview House in Los Angeles. The film will be available globally on Prime Video starting September 2, 2026.
The movie has a PG-13 rating and runs for 84 minutes. It falls under the thriller, suspense, and action genres.
Mark Gibson wrote the screenplay. David Kosse produced the film, with Jane Robertson, Amy Paquette, Elliott Kleinberg, and Claire Willats serving as executive producers.
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Gadot Says She’s Done With Running After This Movie
When asked whether her months of training inspired her to run a marathon, Gadot gave a clear answer.
“No. No. No. No,” she told ABC7.
She also joked that after spending months running for the movie, she has had enough of running for a while. Gadot reminded people that despite her action roles, she is just an actress doing her job.
“You know, guys, I’m just an actress. When people tell me stuff about Wonder Woman, I’m like, ‘You know I’m not Wonder Woman? I’m just a person,’” she said.
The Runner starts streaming on Prime Video on September 2, 2026, for audiences in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and worldwide.
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