Aidan Gillen to Play the Villain in 'The Maze Runner' Sequel, 'The Scorch Trials'

Predicting which of the numerous YA adaptations will turn out to be a hit is nearly impossible, and it seems most of the experts were off when it comes to The Maze Runner. The Wes Ball-directed film got off to a strong start in its first weekend, earning $81M worldwide and guaranteeing we'd see the second of James Dashner's trilogy, The Scorch Trials. And now we know who will be the bad guy antagonizing the surviving Gladers.

Aidan Gillen, who is probably best known for playing the devious Petyr Baelish aka Littlefinger on HBO's Game of Thrones, will play the villain in the film which Ball will return to direct. He'll play Janson, a researcher who is nick-named Rat Man and has an intense dislike for Thomas, played by the returning Dylan O'Brien.

20th Century Fox is moving fast on this one with filming to being next month for release September 18th 2015.

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Review: 'The Maze Runner' starring Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Will Poulter

It's undeniable there are some surface similarities between The Maze Runner and others in the sci-fi fantasy genre; dystopian future, social commentary, one mysteriously powerful kid who flips the balance of power. Been there, done that, right? Not so; with its focus on a contentious male-dominated society and a continuously thrilling mystery in the vein of Lost (the early seasons, anyway), The Maze Runner is an impressive start to what could be an even better franchise.

Based on James Dashner's bestselling books and directed by first-time feature helmer Wes Ball, the film gets your heart racing right from the very first moment. In pitch darkness we hear what sounds like gears of an elevator shaft, followed by the introduction of Thomas (Dylan O'Brien of MTV's Teen Wolf) as he wakes up in a cramped freight with no memory how he got there.

"Rise and shine, greenie.” is the unwelcome greeting he receives from Gally (Will Poulter), who muscles him out of the transport and into a giant greenland known as the Glade. There are other boys in the same predicament; stuck in this place with no idea how they arrived or how to leave. And it's a veritable Rainbow Coalition of ethnicities, too, another nice change-of-pace. The leader, Alby (Alm Ameen), takes charge of showing Thomas around, seconded by Newt (Game of Thrones' Thomas Sangster). The Gladers, as they call themselves, have set up their own little community in this place, each with their own jobs. The toughest job is also the most dangerous, belonging to the Runners. The Glade is surrounded by a gigantic, shifting maze of which there seems to be no escape. It's the Runners' job; led by the speedy and brave Minho (Ki Hong Lee) to map the maze, but only if they can survive the Grievers, spidery creatures that stalk the labyrinth.

The premise established, Ball and screenwriter Noah Oppenheimer (also a writer on the Divergent movies, coincidentally) set about building tension amongst the group. This being a community built purely of testosterone, conflict begins almost immediately upon Thomas' arrival. While everyone else is content to merely endure their predicament, Thomas starts asking the questions they've all tried to forget. His bending of the rules puts him at odds with Gally, who fights to maintain the status quo. When the elevator arrives unexpectedly and drops off Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the first girl ever in the Glade, it only signals more trouble on the horizon.

Refreshingly, the introduction of a female into the mix does not mean we're treated to the typical "love triangle" nonsense. At no point is Teresa torn between two guys, pining for their attention. The focus is solely on getting out of the maze, figuring out why they're in the Glade, and what makes Thomas so special. In one pulse-pounding sequence he gets trapped in the maze along with Alby and Kinho, helping them do the unthinkable and survive overnight. The Grievers, which look like the spiders from Lord of the Rings, are a constant and dangerous threat. But the biggest danger is the maze itself, made of giant concrete walls and metallic blades that transform at a moment's notice. Ball built his career with the short film, Ruin, and the visual expertise he showed on that is brought to brilliant display in his feature debut. The Maze Runner isn't flashy but Ball makes the Glade a believably intimidating place, part Lord of the Flies with a touch of The Hunger Games. Even though we know Thomas isn't taking a dirt nap any time soon, a good job is done establishing the others so that when some of them die (and many do) we feel the impact.

Those who have never seen MTV's Teen Wolf may be caught unawares by O'Brien but he brings an edge to the role of Thomas. He's surrounded by a cast full of either unknowns or those taking on new challenges. Poulter, who is still probably best known for playing nerdy wimps in The Chronicles of Narnia and We're the Millers, bulks up and makes for a believable bully as Gally. Ameen exudes confidence and will probably find he’s getting a lot of Hollywood attention after this and the same goes for Hong Lee who has real presence despite limited screen time. Scodelario, who was breathtakingly good in Wuthering Heights just a couple of years ago, doesn't get much to do as Teresa. It's likely her role will take on greater importance future movies but for now she's little more than an important background character. As far as veteran actors go, Patricia Clarkson appears in brief flashbacks as Ava Paige, whose role is best left for audiences to discover themselves. Unfortunately, her every appearance signals the movie's one big weakness. It doesn't take long to figure out who Paige is and what she has to do with the Glade. The revealing of answers could have been handled much better, but to be fair that's a problem The Maze Runner's peers also have.

What works for The Hunger Games, other than having a star like Jennifer Lawrence, is the detailed building of a complex, believable world. The Maze Runner may only take place in one small corner of a much larger apocalyptic society, but it's just as elaborate and full of great characters that we'll want to see again in the sequel, The Scorch Trials.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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New Trailer and Posters for 'The Maze Runner', Plus Dylan O'Brien Screws Up the Comic-Con Panel

So what is it that separates The Maze Runner from every other YA adaptation out there? This is the major question at the heart of the Comic-Con panel featuring director Wes Ball, and stars Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Will Poulter. And the answer, it seems, is actually pretty simple. There is no Katniss Everdeen or Tris Prior to be found in the world of The Maze Runner. Instead it features a male hero in a land almost entirely populated by boys, but is that enough to make this film stand out when so many others in the dystopian sci-fi genre have failed?

The Comic-Con trailer has now been released and it looks like a super-sized Lord of the Flies, which isn't a bad thing at all. Along with it are eleven new posters which seems a little like overkill, but when the goal is to build a franchise every little bit helps. In fact, it's expected that if the film is a hit the sequel, The Scorch Trial, would be next. A teaser image from the follow-up was shown on the Hall H floor and it presents a very different landscape than the one seen in The Maze Runner.

The Maze Runner opens September 19th. Check out the synopsis, posters, and the Comic-Con panel where O'Brien totally spoils something major at around the 14-minute mark.

SYNOPSIS:  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. Based upon the best-selling novel by James Dashner.

The Maze Runner-Official Trailer #2 (HD) Best Seller 2014 by Trailersstv
 

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First Trailer and Poster for 'The Maze Runner' Starring Dylan O'Brien

The YA landscape has been dominated by female leads, and thus so have the many film adaptations. While it's been good to see a lot of strong women characters, it's also made it difficult for any particular franchise to stand-out, which may explain why so many of these movies have failed. The Maze Runner offers something a little different in that it's largely centered on a group of males, but is that enough to separate it from the genre pack?

The trailer for the Wes Ball-directed adaptation has been released, along with the first poster. Set in (you guessed it) a dystopic future version of Earth, the story follows Thomas (Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien), a teenaged boy who wakes up in a community of young men known as The Glade. With no memory of his life on the outside, he comes to learn they are surrounded by a giant stone maze from which there is no escape. Everything changes when a girl, the first girl they've ever seen, arrives with an important message.

James Dashner wrote an entire trilogy of novels plus a prequel, all of which we'll see on the silver screen if this one does reasonably well. Also starring Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Patricia Clarkson, The Maze Runner opens September 19th. We'll update this post with the trailer later.

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Boys Run Wild In First Images from 'The Maze Runner'

It's become apparent now that every new YA adaptation will inevitably be compared to whatever the most successful film at the time is. Before it was Twilight, but now every new film has to measure up to The Hunger Games, and that's the unfortunate expectation being heaped on Wes Ball's directorial debut, The Maze Runner.

It's no surprise that MTV scored the first images from the sci-fi film as Teen Wolf star Dylan O'Brien is in the lead role of Thomas, who wakes up with no memory in a gigantic maze. Along with a group of other trapped boys, he helps build a society known as The Glade while also trying to find the keys to their escape. The photos show lots of running, plenty of guys, and only one female which appears to be Wuthering Heights star, Kaya Scodelario. Thomas Sangster (Game of Thrones), Will Poulter (Son of Rambow), Jacob Latimore (Black Nativity), and Patrick Clarkson co-star. 

The Maze Runner hits theaters on Valentine's Day 2014.

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Wes Ball to direct 'The Maze Runner'

20th Century Fox is investing pretty heavily in the future of director, Wes Ball. His short film, Ruin, sparked an internet craze, and the studio picked up the rights to turn the animated post-apocalyptic story into a feature film. Now they're turning to Ball to helm an adaptation of the popular young adult novel, The Maze Runner.

James Dashner's novel takes place in a similar dystopian future as Ruin, and follows Thomas, a young man who wakes up without any memories amongst a community of boys known as Gladers, who are all trapped in an enormous maze. He soon comes to realize that this was all part of his destiny to become a maze runner, and to lead the Gladers to freedom. Fox has been trying to put this film together for a couple of years now, with Catherine Hardwicke(Twilight) attached for awhile before dropping out. Noah Oppenheim penned the first draft of the script.

Fox clearly has aims on turning this into a potential franchise, as Dashner has already completed two sequels, and a prequel that was just released earlier this month. If The Maze Runner turns out to be the hit many think it can, especially in light of the similarly themed The Hunger Games, we may be seeing a lot of Wes Ball in the future. If you want to get a glimpse of what he can do, check out the Ruin short film below....

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