The Maze Runner 3Coming hot off the heels of a plateau of summer sequels such as Transformers 4, X-Men Days of Future Past and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes comes the next big craze based off popular teen drama novels – The Maze Runner.

Written by James Dashner and paralleling the famous story of ‘five characters in search of an exit’ from the Twilight Zone, The Maze Runner tells the story of Thomas, a young man who wakes up in gigantic constructed maze with no memory and no knowledge of who he is, nor where he is.

Thomas becomes part of a community of teenage boys who all suffer from the same amnesiac affliction and joins their mission is to find their way out of the deadly labyrinth. Who built this maze? What is its purpose? Is there even an exit? These are just some of the many enigmatic elements that surround this puzzling film and with its predominantly youthful cast this looks like it will be a crowd pleaser for all those in the 18 – 35 bracket.

Could this be the next Hunger Games? It certainly shares plenty of the same compelling themes that have attracted such widespread fandom. From the dystopian setting to its up-and-coming cast of international talent as well as exploring elements of bravery, friendship, order and chaos this definitely looks like a viable contender for most profitable film between the awkward slump period between the end-of-summer and Oscar season. For anyone who hasn’t read the book the best way to channel its essence is to think of a hybrid mix of The Lord of Flies and Enders Game.

Dylan O’Brien of Teen Wolf fame stars as our protagonist Thomas and along with his co-inhabitants Alby (Aml Ameen), Gally (Will Poulter), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Chuck (Blake Cooper) they must find a way to escape the deadly maze. The only place which is known to be safe is the Glade – a square pitch of land in the centre of the maze which is protected by four 150ft concrete walls and encompasses their little community. What lies beyond these walls is a twisting and shifting Labyrinth, filled with many sudden and random ways to die. Some of the lads have been in the Glade as long as two years and salvation seems all but impossible; t’s only when a girl named Teresa (Kaya Scoladrio) is sent up through the metal box uttering Thomas’ name that everything begins to change.

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Do these two characters have a history? It’s unclear what their connection is as their memories are nothing but scattered pictures and fragments of whatever previous life they had. But ultimately we know that there is clearly more to these characters than what we see on the surface.

What will separate The Maze Runner from the monopoly of teen-drama adaptations is its reluctance to steady itself with a typical romantic subplot. Author Dashner sidesteps the clichés of the genre and creates nuanced characters clouded by mystery and a genuine sense of tension with lives at stake.

There will be no ‘Team Edwards’ or ‘Team Peetas’ – instead audiences can revel in the camaraderie of it rag-tag band of characters and thrilling action sequences. With plenty of twists and turns that the story has to offer and as evidenced by the trailer we can expect to see the walls closing in on the boys and some encounters with the deadly grievers that inhabit the maze.

This film doesn’t actually arrive on our screens until October but because of Dashner’s loyal fan base and some ingenious marketing tactics The Maze Runner is already stirring juices in the hype-cauldron and looks set to be a very successful franchise. With another two pending sequels and a potential prequel in the pipeline all hope rests on the success of its first film – but with a strong dynamic cast, an intriguing plot and a heavy production budget this might just be the next big craze for all things geeky.

Read more about The Maze Runner when we visited the set last year.