''Maze Runner'' is a North American film trilogy, consisting of

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

action

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, ani ...

s based on ''The Maze Runner'' novels by the American author

James Dashner James Smith Dashner (born November 26, 1972) is an American writer known for speculative fiction. Many of his books are primarily aimed at children or young adults. He is best known for ''The Maze Runner'' series and the young adult fantasy seri ...

. Produced by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and distributed by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, the films star

Dylan O'Brien Dylan Rhodes O'Brien (born August 26, 1991) is an American actor. His first major role was Stiles Stilinski on the MTV supernatural drama ''Teen Wolf'' (2011–2017), where he was a series regular during all six seasons. He achieved further pr ...

Kaya Scodelario Kaya Rose Scodelario-Davis (née Humphrey; born 13 March 1992) is an English actress best known for her roles as Effy Stonem on the E4 teen drama '' Skins'' (2007–2010, 2013), and Teresa in the ''Maze Runner'' film series (2014–2018). Oth ...

, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee,

Dexter Darden Dexter Darden is an American actor, best known for playing the role of Walter Hill in '' Joyful Noise,'' and Frypan in the ''Maze Runner'' film series. Personal life Dexter was engaged to singer/actress JoJo Jojo, JoJo or Jo Jo is a given na ...

, and

Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades in ...

Wes Ball Wes Ball (born October 28, 1980) is an American film director, visual effects artist and graphic artist. He is best known for directing the ''Maze Runner'' film trilogy, based on James Dashner's series of novels of the same name. Ball's next fi ...

directed all three films. The first film, ''

The Maze Runner ''The Maze Runner'' is a 2009 young adult dystopian science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner and the first book released in ''The Maze Runner'' series. The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an ...

'', was released on September 19, 2014 and became a commercial success grossing over $348million worldwide. The second film, '' Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'' was released on September 18, 2015, and was also a success, grossing over $312million worldwide. The film series concluded with the release of the third film, '' Maze Runner: The Death Cure'' on January 26, 2018, which grossed $288million worldwide.

Films

''The Maze Runner'' (2014)

The film features Thomas, who wakes up trapped in a maze with a group of other boys. He has no memory of the outside world other than dreams about an organization known as WCKD (World Catastrophe Killzone Department). Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his purpose and a way to escape. Development for the film began in January 2011 when Fox purchased the film rights to Dashner's novel ''

''.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as ...

began in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the county seat, parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, E ...

in May 2013 and ended in July. It was released on September 19, 2014.

''Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'' (2015)

The film features Thomas and his fellow Gladers as they search for clues about the organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD's "vastly superior" forces and uncover its plans for them all. Principal photography commenced in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

, in October 2014 and ended in January 2015. It was released on September 18, 2015.

''Maze Runner: The Death Cure'' (2018)

In the finale to the ''Maze Runner'' saga, Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled safe zone designed to keep people out. They attempt to enter to rescue their friends, seeking answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze. In March 2015, T.S. Nowlin, who co-wrote the first and wrote the second film, was hired to write ''Maze Runner: The Death Cure'' based on the novel '' The Death Cure''. In September 2015, Ball was hired to direct the film. Ball said that the film would not be split into two films. Principal photography took place in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

between March and June 2017 for a January 26, 2018 release.

Future

Following the

acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company included the 20th Century Fox film and ...

in March 2019, Disney announced in April 2019 at their

CinemaCon The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the worldwide major theater chains' operators are members, as are hundreds of independent theater opera ...

presentation that new ''Maze Runner'' films are in development.

Recurring cast and characters

Crew

Music

Reception

Box office performance

All ''Maze Runner'' films opened at number one at the North American box office during their opening weekend. In North America, the ''Maze Runner'' film series is the fifth-highest-grossing film series based on young adult books, after the film series of ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...

'', ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...

'', '' The Twilight Saga'', and '' The Divergent Series'', respectively, earning $242million. Worldwide, it is the fourth-highest-grossing film series based on young-adult books, after the film series of ''Harry Potter'', ''The Twilight Saga'', and ''The Hunger Games'', respectively, earning $949million from a $157million total production budget.

Critical and public response

The ''Maze Runner'' trilogy has received a mixed critical response, with the primary source of criticism being the plot and character development, although its performances and action sequences have been praised.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maze Runner (film series), The Series 20th Century Studios franchises Action film series Mystery film series Science fiction film series Teen film series Thriller film series Film series introduced in 2014 Trilogies