New pictures from the Maze Runner camp have been unveiled and multiple new movie details are now available!
In what can only be described as a media blitz, with no less than eight different articles all coming out on the same day, the Maze Runner fandom has a whole chunk of new information to discuss and review.
Back in June of last year, the Maze Runner set opened its doors to a select group of reporters to interview and experience the live environment of shooting the film. Almost a year later, they seem to have been given the green light to publish their articles and reveal to the masses everything they learned during their time on set.
Since some of the material has been repeated several times over, we are accumulating the biggest reveals, and sharing them with you here.
Production News
In the most recent Collider interview, Ball shared his hopes that the Maze Runner film will most closely resemble what Jurassic Park did. He described the PG-13 movie as a film that didn’t pander to kids and managed to be lethal while continuing to target child audiences. He hopes Maze Runner can do the same.
Collider also revealed that there are an undetermined number of grievers in the maze but most likely eight; one for each section of the maze. The site went on to share that there are between 30-40 people in the Glade, and the first Glader came up about three years ago — Averaging out to about a person a month.
Page to Premiere recounts a hilarious tale about how Dylan O’Brien very nearly lost the role of Thomas due to his hairstyle: “The way Wes told me it happened was, at first, I went in on it initially with the casting director, just like everybody. I didn’t hear back for like a month and a half, because Wes was like, ‘His hair is too MTV!’ That’s what he thought, which was so funny. Then he saw a picture of me with more regular hair, the buzzcut or something from Teen Wolf, and he brought me back and it worked.”
In several of the articles it’s mentioned that the Glade is supposed to look as though the kids themselves designed each part of the camp. This place was given to them, and over the course of three years, they’ve settled into it and made it their home.
Lastly, we learned yesterday that the Maze Runner people are considering taking parts of the second book and making them into digital shorts. IGN quoted Producer Wyck Godfrey as saying “Character backstories that you find out in the second book, like Newt’s limp, we’re discussing doing a little short on. Just to get people really thinking about the movie, but we haven’t really decided if we’re going to do it yet.”
A really awesome idea for those fans who had always wanted to see The Maze Runner explored through different points of view. This could be a great way to help bridge that gap.
Character News
We learned last week at WonderCon that the character Ben had transformed a bit from book to screen. In the film version Ben is depicted as a runner, and thanks to Page to Premiere we learn that he is actually a veteran runner, right hand man to Minho, and has been in the Glade for at least a year and a half. Quite a development of character and we can’t wait to see what Chris Sheffield brings to the role.
Related: First look at Ben’s banishment from ‘The Maze Runner’!
The website also spoke with Ki Hong Lee and he took the time to reflect a bit on his own character: “Eventually it kinda winds down to me just being the most physical, the most physically gifted and just being fast. It just ended up me being the keeper of the runners.” Lee finishes with, “Minho’s character is very efficient so he doesn’t talk much. When he does talk, he means it and he gets straight to the point. He’s a bit sarcastic at times.”
In multiple interviews, Kaya Scodelario is quoted as saying that there’s no romantic link between her character Teresa and Thomas. She elaborates by saying “they’re two souls who feel a connection to one another but they’re so focused on trying to work out why they’re in this place and why they don’t have any memories of who put them there. They wouldn’t suddenly be like, ‘I love you’.” Book readers know that The Maze Runner isn’t centralized on romance at all, but it does leave fans to wonder how that future plot line will play out as the movie franchise continues.
In a few other interviews Scodelario goes on to cite Teresa’s intelligence and her lack of being a damsel in distress as reasons for desiring the role. Huzzah for strong, powerful, interesting ladies in film!
Although it’s been mentioned multiple times that Teresa and Thomas wouldn’t be sharing a telepathic connection in the film like they do in the book, we only learned yesterday that Teresa won’t be spending any of her time in a coma. IGN reveals that the coma element was eliminated to free up the plot line and focus more time on why the characters are in the Glade and the existential questions surrounding their memory loss.
Scene News
Another common element from yesterday’s news blitz was the newly added scene between Thomas and Gally.
But first, there are two things to note here. Instead of having Thomas instantly remember his name as he does in the book, the film chose to take another path towards his self identification.
From what we gather, the Gladers now gather once a month to celebrate their survival. Ki Hong Lee spoke to Page to Premiere about Minho’s less than enthusiastic reaction to the celebration. Shortly after Thomas arrives in the Glade, the boys gather to partake in their monthly ritual.
At this point though, Thomas still doesn’t remember his name and it’s only after he and Gally prepare to wrestle each other after a bout of frustration, he’s triggered into remembering that he is called Thomas. But only seconds after his elation dies down, a startling noise from behind the wall breaks up the fun and sends everyone off to bed. Page to Premiere has a great breakdown of the scene and you can read it here.
Griever News
IGN spoke with Producer Wyck Godfrey and he revealed some new information regarding the Grievers. Godfrey said, “In the book it’s almost described as a slug like thing, with almost grafted parts — with everything from saws to spikes to shovels,” he says, “which I thought is a little immature, but what Wes loved about it and we all loved about it was that by its nature it was bio-mechanical. It was a biological being that scientists have grafted onto dangerous things. So, we’ve got something that I think has more of the shape of a giant… almost like a flea? Like if you’ve seen fleas blown up in huge size? But, it’s got these metal legs and stingers. All these kind of dangerous apparatuses on it. They’re going to be very scary.”
Yay… They sound just as pleasant as we imagined… *shivers*
Thanks to all the news sites for sharing these details, and to the Maze Runner crew for inviting everyone onto set!