Dylan O’Brien and the Stars of ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ Discuss the Latest Chapter of the Hit Franchise

Alci Rengifo

Fans worldwide are gearing up for the release of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” the third and latest installment in the hit “Maze Runner” series. Based on a hugely successful set of young adult novels, “Maze Runner” is in the tradition of dystopian action films like “The Hunger Games,” where special effects combine with distinctive, memorable characters. In this new chapter in the saga, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) leads a group of escaped Gladers on a mission to find a cure for a devastating disease called “the Flare” which is spreading fast. They must enter a legendary spot known as the Last City, which is the deadliest of all the mazes these characters have ever faced. Members of the cast took some time to chat with Entertainment Voice about the making of the movie and delivering for the fans.

“I just hope the fans come away happy,” said O’Brien. “It’s something we’re all really happy with and proud of. We care so much about the fan base.” During filming O’Brien had a well-publicized accident. During a stunt sequence he was reportedly pulled from a moving vehicle before being struck by another. Left with a reported concussion and head trauma, O’Brien had to quit filming and the production went on hiatus. “It was difficult, I’ve spoken about it,” said O’Brien about the experience and returning to finish the movie. “It wasn’t an easy time in my life. I was glad to be able to come back. It meant a lot to me, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave it that way. So this is great.”

“They all have their own feel, their own style to them,” said Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who plays Newt, one of the top Gladers. “Just in terms of landscape and time, and the general aesthetic of the movies, the lightning is very different in this one. But they have this running theme and feel to them.” Sangster was also recently featured in the Netflix series “Godless,” a show with somewhat similar themes, yet the different filming experiences have their own flourishes. “It’s hard to compare. Although they are similar in that you show up and form a character, but each job is completely and utterly different from the last one. It depends on the time, where you are, who you’re working with.” Set in a dystopian future of plagues and combat, the “Maze Runner” films can’t help but reflect a little on real world moods. “They are just action movies, but it is important to have a grounding in some sense of reality, certainly as an actor it is,” said Sanger. “The world is in a messed up place at the moment. You can see it as an epidemic in a way. It has been like that for a while. You can look at it in so many different ways. So yeah, I guess you can say we’re trying to say something, buy you should just have fun with it.”

For Dexter Darden, who plays Frypan, who we met in the first movie as a cook and is now one of the few survivors unaffected by the Flare, getting back into the role was easy work. “We just got together as friends and family and just shot it. We didn’t prep differently. We just wanted to close the chapter.” Darden is well aware of what fans are expecting from “The Death Cure.” “I hope they get all their questions answered,” he said enthusiastically. Darden is keeping busy having already finished another film, this time starring alongside Usher, which is starting to make the festival rounds. “It’s called ‘Burden,’ we just got it into Sundance. I’m really excited for people to see it.”

“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” opens Jan. 26 in theaters nationwide.