Director Wes Ball brings his sequel Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials to Hall H at Comic-Con. Author James Dashner, and stars Dylan O’Brien, Rosa Salazar, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Giancarlo Esposito joined Ball on stage to react to the new trailer and talk about the film as part of 20th Century Fox’s presentation.

Panel Highlights

  • maze-runner-the-scorch-trials-dylan-obrien-kaya-scodelario
    Image via 20th Century Fox
    Dashner called the latest adaptation of his novels the highlight of his career.
  • Ball said that the sequel is much bigger than the first film and really ups the intensity level.
  • O’Brien shared his thoughts on Thomas’ journey to becoming a leader but losing friends along the way and feeling responsible for their deaths.
  • Esposito said that his character Jorge is just as explosive but with more heart than Breaking Bad’s Gus Fring.

Footage

The new trailer revealed quite a bit more footage than the previously released cut. Starting with a brief glimpse of a flashback before even the events of The Maze Runner, we soon get the familiar look inside the W.C.K.D. facility where the protagonists are now taking shelter. That false sense of security is quickly shattered as Thomas starts to unravel a mysterious plot of which the survivors of the Maze find themselves at the center.

Much like in the earlier trailer, we then see the kids make their way out into the sun-blasted region outside the facility known as the Scorch. Unlike earlier looks, we get glimpses of the horrors of the Scorch, including the Cranks, those people who have been altered by the Flare virus that ravaged civilization. While there’s nothing in this new trailer that’s as imposing or impressive as the Maze from the first film as far as settings are concerned, the Cranks are a pretty cool addition to the world. It keeps the genre of a survival-thriller but adds an interesting horror twist that really ratchets up the tension a few notches.

In addition to the trailer, we were treated to the first clip that introduced the Cranks themselves. Anyone who’s played “The Last of Us” will have a good idea of what the Cranks are like. Infected by the Flare virus, these sub-human creatures exist in the dark places of the ravaged world, hiding away from the sun and feeding off of plague rats. When Thomas stumbles into their lair - hidden away within a dilapidated and dangerously leaning skyscraper - and disturbs them, the Cranks peel themselves from the floor and walls, roaring with a hellish sound as they tear away fleshy, vascular branches that once anchored them into place. With The Hunger Games wrapping up this year and if this new footage is any indication, Maze Runner is nicely poised to become the most popular YA franchise.

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