Last week we reported that Will Poulter (The Chronicles of Narnia) was in talks to play a lead in James Dashner’s book-turned-movie Maze Runner, directed by Wes Ball. Today we can report that Thomas Brodie-Sangster, whom you know most recently as Jojen Reed in The Game of Thrones, but who I will always remember as the sweet lovestruck boy in Love Actually.
According to Deadline he’s been cast to play Newt, who is second in command in The Glades and is as close as the boys have to a mother figure. I spent the last three days devouring The Maze Runner by James Dashner and I have to admit that I couldn’t put it down. Thomas Brodie-Sangster wasn’t exactly what I pictured, but he does such a great job in his films that I’m certain he will do wonders with the character.
Synopsis:
Thomas awakens in a dilapidated elevator with no memories except for his own name. The elevator deposits him into a strange place called The Glade – a large outdoor space surrounded on all sides by 150 foot walls of solid stone, and inhabited by 50 other boys who have lived there for the past 2 years all with no memory of how they got there or who sent them. Every morning the walls move apart to allow the boys out of the Glade and into the enormous and complex MAZE that stretched for miles and miles with no clear end or escape. At night the walls seal the boys inside the Glade and protect them from the vicious Grievers – insect like creatures who prowl the maze and attack anybody unfortunate enough to get stuck in it overnight. The maze is constantly shifting, awe-inspiring, and so far, unsolved. The Gladers’ only hope of escaping lies in the hands of elite Maze Runners who search the shifting maze for an exit each day. When the elevator makes an unscheduled delivery of the first girl (Teresa) in the Glade’s history, everything is thrown into chaos. Together, Thomas and Teresa must embark on a quest to solve the riddle of the maze and reveal the chilling secret of who brought them there, and why.
I’m a firm believer in seeking out and enjoying the literature that inspires movies, but I’m also a big believer in putting some time between when you read the book and when you see the movie so that you can enjoy them as two separate forms or entertainment. I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend you go run out and get it. It’s the first book in a long time that I couldn’t put down, and I can’t wait to start the next in the series, The Scorch Trials.
Maze Runner is slated to hit theaters February 14, 2014.
