Wes Balldeserves a lot of credit. It’s next to impossible to launch a young adult movie franchise. Think about all the ones that have tried and failed over the past decade:The Mortal Instruments,I Am Number Four,The Golden Compass,Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant,The Host,Inkheart,Eragon,Ender’s Game. And these are just a few—the list continues.
Like most people, when I first sawThe Maze Runner, I was blown away by what Ball managed to accomplish because he didn’t have a huge budget. In fact, during the interview you’re about to watch, he revealed he had $34 million to makeMaze Runner. Think about that number. $34 million. That’s what most studios use to make their mid-range talking dramas with a few action scenes. It’s not a lot of money by Hollywood standards.
But Ball took that budget and threw it all on the screen, crafting one of the best young adult movies of the past few years. Then, right after he put the finishing touches on the film, he immediately jumped into pre-production onMaze Runner: Scorch Trialsand again knocked it out of the park.
While I won’t reveal any of the twists and turns of the second installment, I will say the sequel is bigger and better than the first film in every way. It’s loaded with action, has great character moments, and manages to unload needed exposition while the characters are doing other things.
One of my biggest gripes in movies is when characters dump exposition and they’re just standing around. When this happens it’s almost like the movies dies until everyone is done talking. One of the cool things aboutScorch Trialsis that when exposition needs to happen, Ball incorporates it into the action. This little touch should tell you everything about Ball and his talent behind the camera. I really believe we are watching someone at the beginning of a long career behind the camera.
During the extended video interview below Ball talks about how he was able to make the sequel look so huge, deleted scenes, if he’s do a director’s cut for the Blu-ray, the status of theMaze Runner: The Death Cure, how the third film will take place a year later, why he got Fox to purchaseFall of Gods,digital and laser projection, IMAX, and he even plays “Save or Kill.” It’s a great conversation so check it out below.
