The second time around, Utah writer James Dashner is experienced at watching a film come to life, this time from the pages of "Scorch Trials," the second in his "Maze Runner" series. Dashner's first book in his best-selling young-adult thriller series was published in 2009, and the first film was released last September.
The new movie, "Maze Runner: Scorch Trials," opens nationwide on Friday, Sept. 18.
What surprised you from the set of "Scorch Trials"?
Everything was bigger and broader. More locations, more actors, more time, more budget. But, happily, the set still had that family atmosphere, and I never felt intimidated or lost. The new cast members and crew fit in really well, and it just had that same special feeling that resided on the set of the first film.
What backstage info will your readers be pleasantly surprised to learn about from the set of this movie?
Readers will be very happy with all the background work that went into making the visuals on this film so spectacular. What will appear seamless to them actually required hundreds of people and thousands of hours. But the effects and visuals and sets are just really great. It was nice to have a bigger budget this time around.
What did the screenwriter/director consult with you about for this movie?
I'm very lucky that director Wes Ball and the screenwriter, T.S. Nowlin, treat me so well. They come back to me at various stages during the writing process and ask my opinion. This movie has a lot of changes from the books, so there were many, many conversations.
What surprised you about seeing the lead characters in the film as opposed to how you conceived them in the book?
In my head, these cast members have completely become the characters from my books. The casting was so spot-on. For the second movie, it's been a thrill to see two of my absolute favorite actors from television join the family: Giancarlo Esposito from "Breaking Bad" and Aiden Gillen from "Game of Thrones." It's very surreal to see them in a movie based on my book.
What's interesting to you about the relationship in the movie between Teresa and Thomas?
In the books, it was never meant to turn into any kind of lovey-dovey romance, and Wes Ball has done a fantastic job of avoiding that in the movies. But we did want to show a special connection that goes back to before the Maze. The decision to exclude the implanted telepathy technology was a hard choice, but the right one. That always comes across as cheesy on the big screen. That's led to a lot of ripple-effect changes in the movies, but I think it's all been handled really well. The spirit of that connection between the two has come across strongly on screen.
Other surprises?
Readers are going to be extremely interested in the Cranks, those humans who've succumbed heavily to the Flare virus and turned into monsters. I think they'll be surprised by Wes Ball's interpretation, but will get over it quickly when the Cranks terrify them, give them nightmares and possibly scar them for life.
What would your readers most want to know as they look forward to this movie's release?
At first viewing, they might be shocked by how much the second film has changed from the book. But once they've seen all three films, it really won't feel so stark. Instead of straight adaptations, Wes felt very strongly that he wanted to take the second and third books as a whole and create the best two movies that made sense for that medium. So there are things from the third book that weigh heavily in the second film, and vice versa. But what's most important is that all the scenes, all the characters, the spirit and tone and general storyline — it's all there, one way or another.
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James Dashner attends the 20th Century Fox press line on Day 2 of Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2014, in San Diego. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)