‘The Maze Runner’ Sequel Is Already In The Works

The Maze Runner is getting a sequel! Rejoice, world!

Wait, what is The Maze Runner? If you haven’t read the book by author James Dashner, then you probably aren’t familiar with the story or the upcoming motion picture. Regardless, that isn’t stopping the folks over at 20th Century Fox from putting together a follow-up to director Wes Ball’s as-of-yet-unreleased adaptation. The flick is presently scheduled to arrive in theaters on September 19.

We know what you’re thinking, and we’re not overly familiar with Wes Ball’s work, either. However, the filmmaker’s short films must have impressed someone, because he ultimately landed in the director’s chair for the Maze Runner flick.

Despite the fact that the first installment of the Maze Runner series hasn’t had an opportunity to impress anyone at the box office, the studio is reportedly moving forward with a sequel based on James Dashner’s novel The Scorch Trials. You know, just in case the flick knocks everyone’s cinematic socks off. Since producers and studios executives love to roll around naked in large piles of money, they’re not going to waste any time moving forward with another movie if this one proves popular. Hollywood, you rascal.

According to our pals at Buzzfeed, production on the Maze Runner sequel began roughly two weeks before the first flick hits the big screen. In fact, Ball said a script is currently in the works. Fortunately for everyone involved, Dashner has already penned two sequels and a prequel, which is pretty much par for the course when you’re dealing with young adult fiction involving teenagers living in dystopian worlds. Obviously.

Ball clearly about getting the next entry in the franchise up and running.

“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. 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.”

If you’re looking for someone to blame for The Maze Runner’s existence, then you can take your case to Lionsgate. After The Hunger Games became a raging box office success, studios began snatching any like-minded YA books they could get their grubby little hands on. Since Dashner’s tale involves teenagers struggling to survive in a bleak futuristic setting, 20th Century Fox decided assemble a team and bang out an adaptation.

Here’s what The Maze Runner is all about.

“When Thomas wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape.”

Are you surprised 20th Century Fox is moving forward with a Maze Runner sequel? Do you plan to catch the flick at this box office later this month?