The Maze Runner, the film adaptation of James Dashner’s young adult novel of the same name, is hitting theaters two weeks from now, but 20th Century Fox has already started working on the sequel to the film, The Scorch Trials.
“We’ve got stages, we’ve got crews coming in, Dylan [O’Brien] will be back in a few weeks, we’re building sets, and the script is being written,” The Maze Runner director Wes Ball said in an interview with Buzzfeed. “It’s a bit of a race this time because we’re cautiously optimistic, but we’re feeling excited we’re about to do something that’s way more sophisticated, way more grown up, and really set up a saga here.”
Shooting for the sequel is expected to begin this fall in New Mexico.
Dashner’s dystopian series also has another sequel entitled The Death Cure and a prequel called The Kill Order that could eventually be hitting the big screen. 20th Century is most likely hoping to have the next tremendously successful franchise based on young adult novels since The Hunger Games. Other studios have tried to replicate The Hunger Games’ success, like the Weinstein Company with 2014’s Vampire Academy, Warner Bros with 2013’s Beautiful Creatures, and Screen Gems with 2013’s The Mortal Instruments, but they all performed poorly at the box office.
The Maze Runner focuses on a group of young boys who have lost their memory and are trapped in a maze that they must solve if they hope to escape. The film, which stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Jacob Latimore, Kaya Scodelario and Patricia Clarkson, hits theaters September 19.
