Gal Gadot Trades Her Cape for a Chase: Inside the Making of Amazon Prime Video’s THE RUNNER

By Manny the Movie Guy

There’s no lasso. No armor. No godlike strength to fall back on. In Amazon Prime Video’s THE RUNNER, Gal Gadot is stripped down to something far more human — a mother running on pure desperation. I sat down with Gadot and director Kevin Macdonald to talk about the making of one of the most breathless thrillers of the year, and what they told me only made me more excited to watch it unfold.

A Different Kind of Hero

Gadot plays Maia Marten, a lawyer whose life is upended when her son’s safety hangs in the balance, forcing her into a relentless, real-time sprint through the streets and underground tube stations of London. Unlike Wonder Woman, Red Notice, or Heart of Stone, this isn’t a superhero or a super-spy — it’s a mother with nothing but instinct and adrenaline on her side.

To pull off the film’s grueling chase sequences, Gadot trained with Olympic coach Malachi Davis. She’s been candid that running isn’t something that comes naturally to her — she’s said in the past that she’s never particularly enjoyed it — which made the physical transformation into “the runner” of the title one of the toughest parts of the role. That authenticity shows up on screen in every gasping, full-sprint frame.

Much of the film’s tension also comes from Maia’s one-sided connection to a mysterious figure known only as the Caller, played by Damian Lewis. Gadot described building that psychological dynamic with a scene partner who exists mostly as a voice on the other end of a phone line — a dynamic that demanded trust and precision from both actors, even without sharing physical space for most of the story.

A Director’s Eye for Realism

Behind the camera, Kevin Macdonald brought the same documentary-honed instincts that shaped acclaimed films like Whitney and The Mauritanian to a full-blown action thriller. Macdonald explained that staging a story built entirely around a character who is never allowed to stop moving required rethinking how the camera itself behaves — it needed to keep pace with Maia rather than simply observe her.

Shooting on location in London added another layer of difficulty. Macdonald spoke about the logistical challenge of turning the city’s real, hyper-connected urban landscape into something that feels claustrophobic and life-or-death, rather than just a scenic backdrop for a chase.

He also touched on directing the film’s central psychological chess match — the tension between Maia and the Caller — noting how much of that suspense had to be built despite his two lead actors spending most of the story physically apart. And when it came to Gadot’s performance, Macdonald didn’t hold back on what surprised him most: watching her bring raw, grounded desperation to a role built on vulnerability rather than power.

What Comes Next

Having now conquered four films built around running or fighting for survival, Gadot hinted that she’s open to exploring new territory beyond this genre — though for now, all eyes are on THE RUNNER.

THE RUNNER sprints onto Amazon Prime Video on September 2. Between Gadot’s raw physical performance and Macdonald’s grounded, documentary-style direction, this is shaping up to be one of the most intense, human thrillers of the year.