One Year Before ‘The Maze Runner’ Hits Theaters, Fox Gets Moving On The Sequel
The Maze Runnerhas yet to prove itself as the nextHunger Games, if only because it’s not even set to open for another year. But 20th Century Fox is feeling pretty confident in the film, to the extent that they’ve already begun work on the sequel.
The studio has just optioned the rights toThe Scorch Trials, the second installment ofJames Dashner’s four-part dystopian YA saga. (Yep, another one.)T.S. Nowlin, who co-wrote the first movie, is set to script, under the supervision ofThe Maze RunnerdirectorWes Ball. More about the movie and its possible follow-up after the jump.
The Scorch Trialspicks up shortly after the events ofThe Maze Runner. Book 3,The Death Cure, completes the main plotline. A prequel,The Kill Order, was released in 2012.
Ball is known for his short film “Ruin,” which he and Nowlin are adapting into a full-length film for Fox.The Maze Runnermarks Ball’s feature directing debut. Nowlin’s credits include the upcoming filmsAgent 13andOur Name Is Adam. He also did work on theFantastic Fourmovie being directed by Josh Trank.
It’s worth pointing out that, for all of Fox’s ambitious plans, there’s no guarantee a sequel will ever actually happen. Consider another recent YA adaptation,The Mortal Instruments. Constantin FilmscastSigourney Weaver in the sequel weeksCity of Ashesbefore the first film opened, only to delay their plans indefinitely whenCity of Bonesflopped.
Still, studios consider the franchise potential inherent in these YA properties to be a huge part of their appeal, so it makes sense that Fox is preparing for the best.The Maze RunneropensSeptember 19, 2014.
