Director Wes Ball made one heck of a feature directorial debut with The Maze Runner, so I’m eager to see how he raises the bar with the sequel. While at San Diego Comic-Con, I got the opportunity to catch the first 30 minutes of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and it certainly looks like Ball is on the right track. At the end of the first film, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and co. managed to make their way out of the maze, but now there’s an even bigger challenge ahead of them - the Scorch, a desert-like, barren landscape that’s filled with people who are infected with the Flare.

After The Scorch Trials preview screening, I got the chance to catch up with Ball and author James Dashner on the Fox Comic-Con press line. We briefly discussed the decision to combine elements of the second and third books, how Ball’s visuals progress from the first to the second film, and whether or not we’ll get to see a certain vicious and deadly metal ball. You can check it all out in the video interview below and, in case you missed it, here are my thoughts on the first 30 minutes of the film. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is due in theaters on September 18th.

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Here’s the official synopsis of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials:

In this next chapter of the epic “Maze Runner” saga, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD’s vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all.