‘The Maze Runner’ Author James Dashner Thinks Fans Will Love The Movie

The Maze Runner is quickly sprinting towards the theaters, courtesy of director Wes Ball and the boys and girls at 20th Century Fox.

Adapting popular novels is always a risky venture. Some books just don’t translate that well during their journey to the big screen, leaving fans of the source material more than a little frustrated. Striking that balance between keeping fans happy and making a story work on a cinematic level is tricky, especially when people simply adore the original tale.

However, The Maze Runner author James Dashner seems to think fans will enjoy what the director and the studio have put together. While it’s rare to find a writer completely trash a movie based his or her novel prior to release, Dashner seems sincere.

The author recently sat down for a chat with The Salt Lake City Tribune ahead of the film’s September 19 release. According to Dashner, Maze Runner fans shouldn’t hesitate to buy a ticket to the Wes Ball’s flick. However, that doesn’t mean the film is a beat-for-beat adaptation of the novel. A few tweaks were made before production began.

“There are lots of little changes, but nothing that’s going to upset the fans too much. I really want them to look at this as another way to experience the story for the first time.”

Dashner isn’t the only person deeply concerned about keeping the fans happy. The Maze Runner star Dylan O’Brien wants to make sure everyone is happy with the flick. Fortunately for the Teen Wolf heartthrob, the people who embraced the novel early on have been nothing but supportive of his involvement with the flick.

However, he isn’t sure which franchise has the most rabid fanbase; Teen Wolf or The Maze Runner. The verdict, he told Variety, is still out.

“I haven’t gotten a huge glimpse of the ‘Maze Runner’ fan-base quite yet. Seems similar with age and casting, and they share a similar audience. To me the ‘Maze Runner’ fans have been so supportive of everything I have done. It makes it easier to adapt a book that is popular with kids because of how excited they are about the project you don’t get the criticisms you would get with other projects.”

Unfortunately, early reviews for The Maze Runner are a decidedly mixed bag. While this probably won’t prevent fans from checking out the flick on opening weekend, casual moviegoers may decide to wait until the flick hits home video before giving it a fair shot. This may not bode well for the sequel, which is already in production.

Are you planning to catch The Maze Runner when it hits theaters on September 19? Do you think the movie will stay true to the source material?

[Lead image via 20th Century Fox]