Moviefone Editorial

Tag: the-maze-runner

  • Dylan O’Brien Looks Healthy (and Hairy) in First Post-Injury Photo

    MTV Teen Wolf Los Angeles Premiere Party - ArrivalsHey, stranger! It’s been a while since we’ve seen “Teen Wolf” star Dylan O’Brien in public, but now he’s rocking enough hair to pass for a werewolf himself. (Maybe he’s the new Bigfoot and this is an official sighting.) O’Brien has been keeping a low profile since his serious injuries on the set of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure.” That film was rescheduled from its February 2017 release to January 2018, to give the star enough time to heal.

    It’s hard gauge his health from here, but he looks pretty good in the new photo, taken by 16-year-old Vanessa Denegri during her shift at the Jamba Juice in Sherman Oaks, CA. (FYI, O’Brien apparently picked up a couple of Kale-ribbean Breezes with Whey Protein. Now you know.)

    Here’s the photo she shared, blocking her own face because she didn’t like how she looked:


    O’Brien was hurt in mid-March while filming a stunt for “The Death Cure.” He was reportedly wearing a harness on top of a moving vehicle when he was unexpectedly pulled off that vehicle and hit by another one. The Hollywood Reporter quoted a report from WorkSafeBC, describing the actor’s injuries as “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations.” The “Maze Runner” crew originally expected him to be back to finish the film within a “few weeks.” But his publicist later updated to say his injuries were “very serious” and he needed more time to recover. That led the film to shut down production in late April.

    But the film is still happening, if a year after-the-fact, and Comicbook added that O’Brien will also be in “Teen Wolf” Season 6. Showrunner Jeff Davis said his character, Stiles, “is a big part of the season because a lot of this season’s mystery revolves around him.”

    “Teen Wolf” Season 6, the final season, premieres Tuesday, November 15. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” is now scheduled for January 12, 2018.

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  • Dylan O’Brien’s ‘Very Serious’ Injuries Worse Than Expected, ‘Maze Runner’ on Hold

    This is getting scary.

    Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured while shooting “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” in mid-March. Director Wes Ball tweeted on March 19 that Dylan was expected to be back up and running to finish the film “after a few weeks.” And co-star Giancarlo Esposito told E! News in early April that Dylan was “healing very well” and expected to recover enough to return to filming in mid-May.

    But not so fast. On April 29, The Hollywood Reporter updated that production has been shut down indefinitely with insiders saying the actor’s injuries are more severe than initially believed.

    “His injuries are very serious, and he needs more time to recover,” his publicist, Jennifer Allen, told THR. A statement from Fox added, “The resumption of principal photography on ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ has been further delayed to allow Dylan O’Brien more time to fully recover from his injuries. We wish Dylan a speedy recovery and look forward to restarting production as soon as possible.”

    THR quoted a report from WorkSafeBC, describing Dylan’s injuries as “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations.” Sources told the site he was in a harness on top of a moving vehicle when he was unexpectedly pulled off that vehicle and hit by another one. Yikes.

    The shooting schedule for this third film in the “Maze Runner” franchise is hardly the first priority, but a lot of jobs are tied to it, and there’s no firm timeline for when it will resume. Sources told THR the cast and crew have been sent home, and a new start date depends not only on the actor’s recovery but the ability to get the huge cast and crew back together again. As of now, it doesn’t seem like the film will make its February 17, 2017, release date.

    Keep your eyes peeled for updates, perhaps from Dylan O’Brien or Wes Ball on Twitter. Heal at your own pace, man!

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  • ‘Maze Runner’ Star Dylan O’Brien Is ‘Healing Very Well’ After Set Injury

    MTV Teen Wolf Los Angeles Premiere Party - Arrivals“The Maze Runner” and star Dylan O’Brien, who was seriously injured in an on-set accident a few weeks ago, is on the mend, according to co-star Giancarlo Esposito.

    “He’s healing very well,” Esposito told E! News at the premiere of “The Jungle Book,” in which he voices Akela. “He got put together a couple of weeks ago … He’s one tough cookie.”

    Esposito added that O’Brien is expected to recover enough to return to filming “The Maze Runner: Death Cure” on May 15.

    A safety report seems to indicate O’Brien suffered a “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations” after falling off a motorcycle that went into a slide after a stunt.

    “He got his bell rung. I would imagine many who witnessed thought that was it … [But] he’s a survivor,” Esposito said. The one good thing about Dylan that I think is going to help him get back on schedule with us very soon is he has a great attitude.”

    “The Maze Runner: Death Cure” is the third film in the franchise, based on the popular dystopian YA novels. O’Brien also stars in MTV’s “Teen Wolf.”

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  • ‘The Maze Runner’ Director Updates on Dylan O’Brien’s ‘Scary’ Injury

    Dylan O’Brien is going to be OK. Wes Ball, director of “The Maze Runner” franchise, including the current movie “Death Cure,” issued a statement about his star’s recent injury on the movie’s Vancouver set. Ball said he expects O’Brien will be well enough to return and finish the film after “a few weeks of rest and recovery.”

    Without sharing more details on the car scene-gone-wrong that reportedly left O’Brien with multiple broken bones, the director did take to Twitter to share his own anger, guilt, and sadness about the incident:

    “Well, it’s been a whirlwind of emotions these past few days. I’ve been overwhelmed with feelings of anger and sadness and guilt. But, ultimately I find myself left with a deep love and respect for Dylan. He is one tough cookie. I’m sorry for the grief this accident has caused his friends and family as well as my wonderful cast and crew. It’s scary seeing your friend get hurt, but fortunately, Dylan is going to be just fine. After a few weeks of rest and recovery he’ll be back up and running to finish our adventure together.

    All the best.
    – Wes”


    According to Deadline, O’Brien, 24, fell off the back of a set that was supposed to look like the back of a train. They weren’t clear on the details, but heard he fractured either his cheekbone or orbital socket when he fell on his face.

    After the accident Fox issued a statement to confirm O’Brien’s injury and transfer to the hospital for treatment. They said production on this third film in the “Maze Runner” franchise would be shut down until he recovers. Based on Ball’s note, it sounds like that’s expected to be “a few weeks” away.

    Don’t rush it for the studio, man, heal at your own pace!

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  • ‘Maze Runner’ Star Dylan O’Brien Badly Injured on Set

    Maze RunnerDylan O’Brien, the star of “The Maze Runner” movie series, has been seriously injured on set, according to TMZ.

    He was filming a scene yesterday for “The Maze Runner: Death Cure” involving a car, and he was accidentally run over. He reportedly suffered multiple broken bones.

    A Fox spokesperson told The Wrap, “Dylan O’Brien was injured yesterday while filming ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ in Vancouver, Canada. He was immediately transferred to a local hospital for observation and treatment. Production on the film will be shut down while he recovers. Our thoughts go out to Dylan for a full and speedy recovery.”

    “The Maze Runner: Death Cure” is the third film in the franchise, based on the popular dystopian YA novels. O’Brien also stars in MTV’s “Teen Wolf.”

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  • 11 YA Authors Reveal the Books They Want to See Made into Movies

    Now that the adaptation of James Dashner’s “The Scorch Trials” is two-thirds done, and the final installments of “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” are coming, it’s time to think about which young-adult books will translate well to the big screen.

    And we’re not just going to list the obvious, like name all of John Green’s books (although “Looking for Alaska” is already in pre-production). We’re going straight to the source – fellow young adult authors, many of whom have their own titles optioned and in the works.

    Here are 14 YA and children’s authors’ picks for the books they wish would get green lit.

    1. Gayle Forman, author of “If I Stay“
    “I would love to see Matt de la Peña’s ‘The Living’ turned into a film. It follows a young man, named Shy, who works as a towel boy on a cruise ship that’s sunk by a tsunami. The book and film would cross genres. There are elements of endurance-adventure a la ‘Unbroken’ (lost at sea, on raft, sharks!). Then there’s this whole weird, mysterious ‘Lost’ thing happening when they get to this strange island. Plus romance. And of course Shy is a classic de la Peña character: macho and vulnerable, grappling with issues of race and class is surprising ways. ‘The Living’ would make such a smart, gripping, adventure film. Plus there’s a sequel, ‘The Hunted.’”

    2. Sarah Dessen, author of “Saint Anything“

    “One YA book I’d love to see hit the screen is E. Lockhart’s ‘We Were Liars.’ It’s set during the summer at the beach, [it] involves family, love and friendships and has a twist you’ll never see coming. Just the kind of movie I’d want to enjoy with popcorn on a hot July day!”

    3. Carrie Ryan, author of “Daughter of Deep Silence“

    “Holly Black’s ‘White Cat.’ It’s such a smart world, but also it’s about a con. I think cons are so hard to write, because they have to be so smart – and hers are brilliant. It would be amazing to see those characters come to life.”

    4. Aisha Saeed, author of “Written in the Stars“
    “I would love to see ‘Simon vs. The Homo Sapien Agenda’ by Becky Albertalli made into a movie because not only does it have a ton of heart, it is also a modern teenage twist on one of my favorite movies of all time, ‘You’ve Got Mail.’

    5. Anna Banks, author of “Joyride“

    “Couldn’t we pretty please have ‘Sweet‘ by Emmy Laybourne turned into a movie? It’s a romance-thriller-comedy-horror-coming of age story. A little something for everybody!”

    6. Kristy Shen, co-author of “Little Miss Evil“

    “‘Tiny Pretty Things’ by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra. It’s ‘Pretty Little Liars’ in a tutu, and it was a terrifying/fascinating glimpse into the cut-throat, pressure-cooker world of ballet. Based on the authors’ real-life experiences teaching at a New York ballet school, I was blown away by the insanity that each of these girls goes through — and the intense pressure to succeed at all costs. Highly recommend.”

    7. Jessica Brody, author of the “Unremembered” trilogy

    “I think ‘Free to Fall’ by Lauren Miller would make such an amazing film. It’s so topical and poignant. An app that makes all of our decisions for us? Sometimes I feel like we are there already!”

    8. Karen Sandler, author of the “Tankborn” trilogy

    “Joseph Bruchac’s ‘Killer of Enemies‘ has a high-concept premise that’s tailor-made for Hollywood: Apache teen Lozen must hunt and kill ravaging GMO monsters after The Cloud destroys all the world’s tech.”

    9. Miranda Paul, author of “Water Is Water“
    “Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s ‘Rogue’ or Ellen Oh’s ‘Prophecy’ series on the big screen! They’re both very different, but I like ‘Rogue,’ because it’s got skateboarding and filmmaking and explores the difficulties that come along with making friends in junior high. ‘Prophecy’ would make for some pretty cool cinematography and action scenes.”

    10. Peter Kujawinski, co-author, “Nightfall“

    “I’ll fall for any movie that has compelling characters and an epic scale, so I can’t wait to see what Hollywood can do with Sabaa Tahir’s ‘An Ember in the Ashes.’ I also love films that evoke a specific time and place – and for that reason I hope Ruta Sepetys’ book about 1950s New Orleans, ‘Out of the Easy,’ gets on the big screen soon…”

    11. Stacey Lee, author of “Under a Painted Sky“

    “Anne Ursu’s ‘The Real Boy,’ because I want to know what wizard trees look like, and Mike Jung’s ‘Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities,’ because he already has Hudson Yang interested in the part of his main character and he would be perfect.”
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  • Box Office: Did Moviegoers Get Lost on the Way to ‘Maze Runner’?

    This was supposed to be the big fall kickoff weekend at the multiplex. There was the sequel in a successful young-adult fantasy/sci-fi franchise and an A-lister starring in the first major Oscar hopeful of the season.

    But two surprising things happened: “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” opened with $30.3 million, less than its predecessor, and Johnny Depp‘s “Black Mass” did slightly better than expected — despite a “B” CinemaScore from audiences.

    Was everyone too busy watching football this weekend, or arguing in coffee shops about Thursday’s Republican presidential debate, or planning the last blowout barbecue before autumn officially arrives this week? Or was it just that, despite the hype, the studios by and large failed to make a compelling case for why people should come back to the theaters this weekend?

    Jake Gyllenhaal‘s “Everest” premiered in fifth place with an estimated $7.6 million, but that’s actually pretty good for a limited release that opened only on fewer than 550 screens and only in IMAX. Similarly, “Captive” opened down in tenth place with just an estimated $1.4 million, but that’s still decent for Christian-themed drama in wide release.

    Many experts expected all these movies to do a lot better. That they were disappointed may speak as much to faulty punditry — which has been giving wildly off-the-mark predictions for months now — as it does to audience apathy. Still, there are some lessons here regarding why these movies didn’t do better.

    Reviews Matter More to Younger Viewers Than You Think

    And that may have been “Scorch Trials’” big problem. Critics didn’t think much of the second installment, judging by a 49 percent fresh score at Rotten Tomatoes. Those weak reviews are not a knee-jerk response to the genre, since critics have been fairly kind to the “Hunger Games” movies, as well as the first “Maze Runner” last fall. So even though young viewers supposedly don’t pay attention to reviews, they didn’t seem to ignore them this time. Conversely…
    Word-of-mouth May Matter More to Older viewers Than You Think

    “Black Mass” actually got strong-ish reviews (76 percent fresh at Rotten Tomatoes), with many critics expressing admiration for Johnny Depp’s performance as real-life Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger, seeing it as a return to form after a number of flops. Normally, that would have been enough to persuade the older ticketbuyers who come out for Oscar-hopeful movies in the fall, and who still take reviews seriously.

    But viewers didn’t like the movie as much as critics did, giving it a so-so B grade (Anecdotal chatter suggests that some viewers were put off by Depp’s old-age make-up and his effort at a Boston accent.) By the way, “Scorch Trials” got a slightly higher B+ grade, but that word-of-mouth wasn’t enough to keep it from premiering with about $2 million less than last year’s initial installment.

    Do Religious Movies Have a Saturation Point?

    If so, then apparently three such films in the multiplex at once is one too many. Maybe that’s why “Captive” hasn’t been the hit that “War Room” has (in its fourth weekend, “War Room” was still earning an estimated $6.3 million, good for sixth place and a total of $49.1 million to date) or even that “90 Minutes in Heaven” has (it’s No. 12 this weekend, with an estimated $1.0 million and a two-week total of $3.7 million).

    Pundits were expecting “Captive” to open at $3 to $7 million — it has two fairly recognizable stars (David Oyelowo and Kate Mara), it has a plot centering on a true story based on Rick Warren’s spiritual bestseller “The Purpose-Driven Life,” and Paramount marketed it by staging “Purpose”-themed screenings for church groups. Then again, “90 Minutes” also has two fairly recognizable stars (Kate Bosworth and Hayden Christensen) and still hasn’t done as well as “War Room,” which doesn’t have any. Either the Christian moviegoing audience isn’t big enough (or free-spending enough) to support three such movies at once, or else it will only support those movies it finds most compelling, star power or no star power.

    People Will Come See Spectacle, if It’s Well-Executed
    That seems to be the case with “Everest,” the true story of the 1996 Himalayan mountaineering disaster. The movie, which had a successful limited release this weekend, features a cast that includes Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Robin Wright, Josh Brolin, and Jason Clarke. But it’s the awe-inspiring visuals, rather than the acting, that have been the focus of buzz surrounding the film.

    No wonder Universal chose to release it at first only on 545 screens, all of them IMAX and large format 3D. The result, thanks to smart marketing and the surcharges, was a $13,872 average per screen, nearly twice what “Scorch Trials” and “Black Mass” averaged. No doubt the word-of-mouth from those awed viewers will help sell the movie when it opens wide next week on standard screens.

    It’s a clever strategy, one pioneered successfully by “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” in 2011. And we’ll be seeing more of it soon, when TriStar debuts aerialist spectacle “The Walk” on specialty formats at the end of September, before expanding wide a week later. It’s a nice reminder that people can still be lured away from their living rooms and smartphone screens to see something novel that they can only experience in a theater.

  • The New ‘Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials’ Trailer Asks, ‘Whose Side Are You On?’

    A new trailer for “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” takes viewers deeper into the mysterious, desolate world of the Scorch, a desert-like wasteland beyond the Glade that’s teeming with its own challenges. Was it worth risking everything to escape in the first place?

    That’s the question on the minds of Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), and the rest of their teenage crew, as they go head-to-head with the shady WCKD organization, and its murky plans for them. Janson (Aiden Gillen) tries to persuade Thomas and co. that they’re making a mistake in venturing outside the Glade, but it seems like it’s all just a bunch of mind games designed to keep them in their place.

    Or is it? As we see in the trailer, the Scorch appears to be every bit as grim as foretold, and there’s danger lurking around seemingly every corner. The Gladers team up with a band of resistance fighters to take down WCKD, but it doesn’t come without great personal cost.

    “Who’s side are you on?” Janson asks Thomas at one point in the clip. The division between the two camps may not be so black and white after all.

    “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” also stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Giancarlo Esposito, Barry Pepper, Lili Taylor, and Patricia Clarkson. It’s due in theaters on September 18.

    Watch the trailer

    Photo credit: Richard Foreman, Jr./Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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