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'The Maze Runner': A look at the mysterious world of the YA movie adaptation

'The Maze Runner' is based on the books by James Dashner and stars Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Kaya Scodelario. 

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Ben Rothstein/20th Century Fox/AP
'The Maze Runner' stars Dylan O'Brien.

“The Maze Runner,” an upcoming movie that’s hitting theaters on Sept. 19, is based on a young adult trilogy, but “Maze” director Wes Ball says the movie doesn't need to be pigeonholed as a children's movie.

“It’s totally a PG-13 movie, so a lot of kids are going to go watch this movie, but they’re not going to feel like they are getting talked down to,” Ball told a group of reporters, according to the website Collider. “It’s not a kid’s movie, it’s just a cool movie that kids can go see.” 

“Runner” centers on protagonist Thomas, who wakes up as he is being transported to a place called the Glade with no idea how he got there. The area is inhabited by other children his age, who tell him that surrounding the Glade is a large maze that no one has ever solved. 

The movie stars “Teen Wolf” actor Dylan O’Brien as Thomas; Thomas Brodie-Sangster of “Game of Thrones” as Newt, second-in-command to Alby (Aml Ameen), the leader of the group of boys; Kaya Scodelario of “Skins” as Teresa, the first girl to arrive in the Glade; and actress Patricia Clarkson. 

The book by Dashner that the film is based on was first released in 2009 and the first book is followed by two other works, “The Scorch Trials” and “The Death Cure.” Dashner also released a book, “The Kill Order,” in 2012 that was a prequel to the “Maze” series.

O’Brien said he’s excited about the possibility of playing Thomas over multiple movies. 

“With a possible potential trilogy like this, it's sort of a blessing for us as actors to be in a film but also get to keep expanding our characters,” the actor said, according to USA Today. 

Ball also spoke about the personality of the lone girl in the group, Teresa.

“I think that’s what separates us from all of the other movies out there with this young adult craze that’s happening right now,” he said, according to Collider. “We are kind of the only, at least for now, boy adventure, like the kind of stuff I grew up watching… a really fun boyhood adventure that happens to have our one girl who kind of becomes one of the boys. We don’t do the damsel in distress thing. She’s tough.”

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