More than a decade after its debut, The Maze Runner trilogy has earned over $949 million at the global box office, and its fanbase is till very much alive. You might expect the hype to have faded, but the franchise still continues to trend on streamiing platforms and across social media.
With major reboots like Harry Potter on the horizon and the dystopian sci-fi making a comeback through series like The 100 and the upcoming Hunger Games prequel, there is no better time for Hollywood to revisit The Maze Runner.
We’ve Only Seen a Glimpse of The Maze Runner World
While the original trilogy mentions WCKD and the Flare virus, it barely explores their origins or true motivations. The books, especially The Fever Code, reveal how WCKD was formed, how the virus spread, and the roles Thomas and Teresa played in designing the Maze. These relationships add complexity to the characters and raise emotional depth, but the films largely overlook them.
A reboot could finally explore its dystopian backstory and dive into the untold stories of The Maze Runner Universe.
A Reboot Could Elevate the Visuals with Modern VFX
With today’s VFX technology, a reboot could create more immersive and dynamic versions of The Maze Runner‘s large-scale environments. The creatures like Grievers and Cranks could now be more terrifying and believable. Modern CGI would enhance action scenes, making them feel more grounded and intense, especially in the tunnel chases, WCKD labs, or the Maze’s shifting walls.
The original films were held back by limitations of the technology at the time; now could be a chance to use modern advancements to unlock stunning visuals.
Diving Deeper into Side Characters
A reboot should finally give the key characters the light they deserve. Characters like Teresa, often misunderstood due to her morally complex decisions and her loyalty to the WCKD, were portrayed in the films as cold and untrustworthy, without the context behind her meaningful choices.
Minho, a strong leader in the books, was often sidelined and treated more like a supporting character. The backstories of other major characters, like Newt, Ben, and Alby, also lacked proper buildup in the films.
A fresh adaptation has the chance to do justice to these characters and tell their stories with the diversity and depth they always deserved.
From Trilogy to TV: The Upgrade the Story Needs
Instead of compressing The Maze Runner universe into limited movies, it would thrive as a limited or multi-season streaming series. This format would offer them more time for story-building and deeper character development, fully exploring the Maze’s design, WCKD’s motives, and the ethical dilemmas the characters face. Slower pacing would also give core themes like control, sacrifice, and survival more emotional weight.
Recent successes like Shadow and Bone, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians have proved that streaming platforms can quickly adapt complex book stories into engaging episodes that help viewers really connect with the story and characters.
The Maze Runner Trilogy Is Still a Streaming Hit on Netflix 11 Years Later
As of October 2025, all three Maze Runner films entered the Netflix Top 10 in the United States as per FlixPatrol. Over a decade later, The Maze Runner fandom remains active across platforms like Reddit, Tumblr, and X, sharing theories, edits, and rewatch threads.
This proves that interest in the franchise is far from over and that a reboot could successfully capture both nostalgic fans and a new wave of viewers. This can also be a huge money making opporunity for the creators.
A Better Adaptation Could Unlock the Story’s True Potential
The trilogy suffered from pacing problems, especially in The Death Cure, leaving significant plotlines unexplored, something that happens very often with adaptations. The films cut details, altering many subplots that enrich the mythology of The Maze Runner. Every crucial event jumped into the other, with little time to digest character motivations or consequences, leaving the audience overwhelmed. Without a strong grounding and buildup, moments that would carry emotional weight fall flat in the original films.
A reboot could be a second chance to deliver a stronger adaptation, one that prioritizes coherent storytelling instead of constant action, filling the ‘in-between’ plot gaps, letting The Maze Runner universe feel more lived in.
Would you like to see a reboot of the Maze Runner franchise? If yes, which actor do you think would be perfect for the role of Thomas? Let us know in the comments!
All three Maze Runner films are available for streaming on Netflix and Disney+.
