A major Sci-Fi franchise is coming back in the near future, and after 12 years, it keeps getting better, remaining just as exciting as when its first movie was released. From Star Wars to Star Trek to Dune to Blade Runner to so much more, there have been quite a few generational Sci-Fi movie franchises over the years.
While there has been a surge in Sci-Fi TV shows of late, thanks to streaming providing bigger budgets and better CGI, going to theaters to watch a new Sci-Fi movie and get lost in an immersive world is still one of my favorite experiences. 2026’s upcoming Sci-Fi movies will continue that, and beyond the new year, the return of a fan-favorite Sci-Fi franchise has been confirmed.
The Maze Runner Was Part Of A Sci-Fi Movie Franchise Boom
The 2010s marked a boom in the Young Adult Sci-Fi movie genre, with the release of cinematic franchises like The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, Divergent, and more. The Maze Runner movie franchise was led by one of my favorite stars of the past couple of decades, Dylan O’Brien. After emerging on Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner showed his leading man skills.
O’Brien was joined by a cast of rising stars who went on to be part of exciting projects. Kaya Scodelario (The Gentlemen), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Queen’s Gambit), and Will Poulter (The Bear) are some of the actors who delivered solid performances in the franchise. With their careers only growing since the original movie, that enhances the experience of rewatching the franchise.
Based on James Dashner’s award-winning novels, The Maze Runner trilogy explores a post-apocalyptic landscape where a group of teenagers are forced to escape a life-threatening maze and then make their way across a world ravaged by a virus, all while trying to get their memories back and bring down the technologically advanced organization known as WICKED. It’s dystopian Sci-Fi at its finest.
How The Maze Runner Keeps Getting Better 12 Years Later
While other franchises released in the same period, like the Divergent movies, fell short of their potential, The Maze Runner made it to the finish line with the full original book trilogy adapted. It was infused by Wes Ball’s visual flair and knowledge of how to best use CGI to craft an immersive world. The director recently helmed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
The Maze Runner trilogy is a Sci-Fi spectacle. It is worth watching after 12 years, as the VFX holds up nicely, the cast has become more well-known, and its questions about morality have only become more timely. It also helps that more is on the way for those looking to revisit the franchise or watch it for the first time.
On May 3, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a reboot of sorts of The Maze Runner is in the works. According to the report, Transcendence‘s Jack Paglen was in negotiations to write the film, which will reportedly not be a remake or a direct sequel. As such, a soft reboot set in the same world could expand the Sci-Fi franchise’s mythology 12 years later.
- Created by
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James Dashner
- Cast
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Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Patricia Clarkson, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Ki Hong Lee, Barry Pepper, Walton Goggins, Nathalie Emmanuel
- Movie(s)
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The Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
- Character(s)
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Thomas (Maze Runner), Teresa (Maze Runner), Newt (Maze Runner), Minho (Maze Runner), Frypan (Maze Runner), Ava Paige
