Last fall the adaptation of the young-adult adventure novel The Maze Runner was released in theaters. The film was led by an energetic and able young cast featuring Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones), and Will Poulter (It). The movie was a surprise hit, mostly due to it being produced on a meager $34 million dollar production budget. While it went on to gross over $100 million dollars domestically, which opened the door to a long-range franchise plan.
The small budget was planned in order to assure that they could complete the trilogy of books by James Dashner, that they are adapting. Immediately after The Maze Runner was released in theaters, production on its sequel The Scorch Trials began. Which is no surprise, since one of the chief complaints about the first film wasn’t about the direction, production values, or acting, it was that it felt like an incomplete story (Check out our review.) That is because it was…
Today we get our first look at the sequel to The Maze Runner. The most perplexing thing about the new footage is that they don’t seem to be running in a maze. Hello? False advertising. The escape from the bunker is shot similarly to the maze in the first movie. However, seeing the kids escape a transforming puzzle was the gimmick that got people in theaters last year. It seems that the story becomes a much more post-apocalyptic adventure and coming on the heels of masterpiece like Mad Max: Fury Road, it will be hard to live up to those expectations. All of the surviving leads from The Maze Runner are back for another round and the supporting cast has been filled out with some notable actors including Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Barry Pepper (True Grit), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), so perhaps there is more than meets the eye to this project. Enjoy the trailer.
Official Synopsis:
In the sequel to the 2014 adaptation, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD’s vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials opens in theaters on September 18th, 2015.
Did you like the first movie? Will you be checking out the sequel? Let us know on the comment boards and make sure to share our stories on Reddit, , , and !
Source: IGN