The creators and stars of the upcoming “The Maze Runner” hope that — with the help of its ever-growing fan base — the film will stand out in a crowd of current and upcoming YA adaptations.
HitFix's Drew McWeeny caught up with the movie's young stars Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, director Wes Ball and original novelist James Dashner at Comic Con over the weekend, where they discussed the adaptation process and trying to keep fans happy. Watch the video interview above.
In “Runner,” young Thomas (O'Brien) wakes up in a mysterious maze with a group of other teens. None of them now how they got there or retain any memories of the outside world, but they must band together in order to conquer the giant labyrinth.
“Lord of the Flies'” meets 'Lost,'” is how Ball describes the tone, adding that Hitchcock was another inspiration.
The cast and crew are eager to please the book's rabid fan base while still making the film stand out from the myriad other recent YA fantasy films.
Poulter noted that the film features “real, relatable kids. These shouldn't be supernatural beings…these are very ordinary kids in extraordinary circumstances.”
“It's gotten to the point where I can't separate the book and the movie anymore,” Dashner explains. “It's as special to them [the fans] as it is to me. It's amazing.”
O'Brien adds that the fans' largely positive energy has taken the pressure off of him a bit.
“The story's very different from the others,” Ball explains. “There's no real love story — at least in the first book — it's not about kids trying to kill each other; this is very much about about people coming together. It's just very different. I thought we could do something that will stand out from the pack. So hopefully that will show when it comes out in September.”
“The Maze Runner” opens September 19.