Gladers’ Last Fight For Survival in “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”

The highly kinetic and global hit YA book-to-movie series “Maze Runner” comes in full circle in the final chapter “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” where the Gladers have finally caught up in the reality of their nightmare. Reprising their roles in the concluding saga are Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen and Patricia Clarkson.

Based on the book by James Dashner and directed by Wes Ball, from the first global box-office hit film, the Gladers found themselves in the midst of a giant maze with no memory of who they were before. In the second film “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” they had achieved their goal, only to discover that the outside world contained just as many horrors. And now, in “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”, as Thomas (O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers adjust to life in the Scorch, they realise that the key to putting an end to this war they find themselves at the heart of lies in the Last City, a walled-off utopia where WCKD has its base, and where the last survivors of the deadly Flare virus keep safe.

Time has passed since the events of The Scorch Trials, during which Teresa betrayed her friends and Minho (Ki-Hong Lee) was captured by the shadowy organisation WCKD. As the “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” opens, the Gladers are orchestrating an elaborate train heist to try and rescue their friend, finally ready to fight rather than flee.

“It’s the world of WCKD,” Ball says. “The last city left standing. WCKD has built, essentially, the same maze walls around it, surrounding the city to protect this core group of people that are just trying to survive the Flare virus. They’re looking for safety, a cure, whatever.”

“When we pick up with the characters in this, it’s the first time we’re seeing any time pass in these movies,” says Dylan O’Brien. “This is really the first time you’re seeing Thomas experienced and a little more mature. He’s dead set on this goal of redemption, and taking down WCKD once and for all. He’s driven. And they’re all dialled-in.”

It’s about redemption for Teresa too, says Kaya Scodelario, during a pause in shooting. “This is her trying to redeem herself and make sense of her decisions,” she explains. “Not only to Thomas, but to herself.”

“The first movie was about leaving the house for the first time as a kid,” says Ball. “The second is like going off to college. You’re on your own but you don’t know who you are yet. And in the third movie, it’s really about coming to a more mature look at good and evil. I think, in this movie, you’re going to see, ‘Wow, maybe we don’t agree with what Teresa did, but you can see why she did it.’”

Join the Gladers in their last fight as “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” opens January 24 in Philippines cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.