Last month, we reported that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke had signed on to direct an adaptation of James Dashner's best-selling young-adult novel The Maze Runner.  The books center on a group of teenagers who wake up to find themselves trapped in an ever-changing maze.  24 Frames is now reporting that screenwriter Noah Oppenheim has been brought on to write the script.  Oppenheimer is an interesting choice as his previous scripts are for an English-language remake of the Swedish crime thriller Snabba Cash and a biopic about Jackie Kennedy set during the aftermath of her husband's assassination.The Maze Runner is the latest young-adult franchise that studios are hoping will be the next Harry Potter or Twilight.  Hit the jump for a synopsis for the novel.  Other hopeful young-adult-novel-based franchises currently in various stages of development include The Hunger Games, Hovercar 3D, and I Am Number Four.  I'm sure they will all be successful and in no way be the next Cirque du Freak or The Dark Is Rising or The Golden Compass or Lemony Snicket or Eragon or Percy Jackson or City of Ember or...Here's the synopsis for The Maze Runner [via Amazon]:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

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