Young-Adult Novel ‘The Maze Runner’ Adds A Screenwriter
By Germain Lussier/Jan. 5, 2011 6:00 pm EST
The Los Angeles Times broke the news of Oppenheim’s involvement with The Maze Runner but there’s no word on when it might make it into production. Hardwicke seems to have an opening in her schedule now – with Red Riding Hood ready for release – but Oppenheim is just beginning work on the script. The director has a few other things she’s been circling, so chances are one of those might happen first before The Maze Runner starts up.
The book, however, seems to have a lot more momentum. The Maze Runner is the first part of a trilogy and spent several months on the New York Times bestseller list after its release in 2009. The second book in the series, The Scorch Trials, was released this past fall and shared similar success.
It’s predictably being mentioned in the same breath as the Twilight and Hunger Games books as the next young-adult sensation. Then again, only Twilight has really proven itself as a multimedia sensation so far. The Hunger Games might be a literally sensation, but the film adaption is only in its earliest stages of pre-production. And unlike Twilight, but very much in the vein of The Hunger Games, the story behind The Maze Runner seems kind of violent and frightening.
To give you an idea of what a Maze Runner film could look like, check out this fan video. Much like what happened with The Hunger Games, a filmmaker who was a fan made this on their own.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
Sounds like a great movie that we should see the light of day in a few years. What do you think of the combination of this material, Hardwicke and Oppenheim?
