'The Maze Runner' Is Already Getting a Sequel Two Weeks Before Release

It will still be a couple of weeks until "The Maze Runner" hits theaters, but that's not stopping the sequel from getting its wheels turning now.

Pre-production for the sequel to "Maze Runner" is already getting under way, according to director Wes Ball. "We’ve got stages, we’ve got crews coming in, Dylan [O’Brien] will be back in a few weeks, we’re building sets, and the script is being written,” he told BuzzFeed. “It’s a bit of a race this time because we’re cautiously optimistic, but we’re feeling excited we’re about to do something that’s way more sophisticated, way more grown up, and really set up a saga here."

The sequel will be titled "The Scorch Trials" (or, if it follows the branding lead of "The Hunger Games," it'll be titled "The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials") after the second book in James Dashner's trilogy. The series rounds out with "The Death Cure," but we'll have to wait and see if 20th Century Fox decides to finish up the trilogy.

This is a bold move on the part of the studio, considering how the market for dystopian teen movies has been faring. While "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" was a box office success, "Divergent" was a little underwhelming and adding in "The Maze Runner" might cause fatigue with three different franchises going at the same time.

And then there's the fact that "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" and "Vampire Academy" crashed and burned...though maybe we can blame the vampires on that one.

Still, it's unlikely that "The Maze Runner" will be anything less than at least a moderate success, considering the popularity of the book and the lack of other quality options at the movie theaters for young adults at the moment.