The shortage of ideas in Hollywood often manifests itself around the metrics of success and sometimes even fear. No one likes to look like the exec who has no clue. Therefore when the Marvel plan does gangbusters, every other studio has to form a similar iteration. When “Twilight” and YA becomes a thing, all studios wanted to have their version of the popular soft drink too. The YA phenomenon quickly shifted though, and perhaps even bifurcated. The romance/doomed love angle still seems like it’s picking up speed (“If I Stay,” “Fault In Our Stars”), but success of “The Hunger Games” altered the genre to move away from vampires and werewolves and hew closer to scaled-down dystopian sci-fi where the millennial is the star and the adults are the parents-just-don’t-understand adversaries.
While not quite that rebellious, “The Maze Runner” does fit the template of adolescents in a post-apocalyptic, science-fiction world. And while many hopeful YA movies have crashed and burned so far (“The Host,” “Beautiful Creatures,” “The Mortal Instruments,” etc.), director Wes Ball is already looking forward to the next film. At Comic-Con, Ball said that if “The Maze Runner,” due in September, is a success, shooting on the sequel, “The Scorch Trial,” will begin later this year.
One step at a time, my friend. Meanwhile, the new Comic-Con trailer for the film has hit and the reaction in San Diego was positive, but not exactly loud. Here’s the official 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” stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie Sangster and Aml Ameen and lands in theaters September 19th. Convinced? Is this a YA film you’d pay to see? Watch the trailer and sound off below.
