New The Maze Runner Movie in the Works from Alien: Covenant Writer

A The Maze Runner reboot of sorts is in the works. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios is rebooting the franchise based on James Dashner’s best-selling books. The series was previously adapted into a trilogy of films that debuted between 2014 through 2018. Jack Paglen, the scribe behind Alien: Covenant, is being tapped to write the first film. Original producers Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Lee Stollman of Gotham Group and Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen of Temple Hill return to produce while director of the original trilogy Wes Bell will also produce.

Per the report, the reboot will not be a direct sequel of the original trilogy or a redo of the story. Instead, its reported that they’re looking to develop a continuation of sorts that includes elements of the original films, an approach that is similar to what the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is doing.

What Is The Maze Runner About?

Released in 2014, The Maze Runner is a dystopian sci-fi film that follows a group of teenagers who finds themselves, wiped of their memories, in a walled, underground area called the Glade. They soon realize that the only way out is through the maze beyond the walls — but that maze is full of dangerous creatures and closing doors that change every night. One new arrival eventually believes that he knows the way out. Later movies (and books) in the series further expanded the world to reveal government organizations and a larger plot behind what is happening to the teens. The film starred Dylan O’Brien and Kaya Scodelario, among others.

Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Opens in Theaters in May

Original The Maze Runner director Wes Ball’s latest film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to open in theaters on May 10th. The film stars Owen Teague (IT), Freya Allan (The Witcher), Kevin Durand (Locke & Key), Peter Macon (Shameless), and William H. Macy (Fargo). 20th Century Studios describes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as follows: “Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.”