The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials is part two of Thomas & the Gladers’ battle with W.C.K.D.

20th Century Fox's The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, the sequel to last year's box office hit The Maze Runner, has been given the green light for release to theaters on September 18. As with the first, Wes Ball is again directing for the follow-through film that would see a continuation to the adventures of 16-year-old Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and the Gladers at the Maze.

T.S. Nowlin wrote the sequel's screenplay based on The Scorch Trials, the second book in young adult fantasy writer James Dashner's The Maze Runner trilogy. According to the plot summary, Thomas and the other Gladers after having escaped the maze, are put into a dormitory where they await for the next challenge. As they continue their search for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known only as W.C.K.D., their journey takes them to the 'Scorch,' a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with the resistance fighters, the Gladers take on W.C.K.D.'s vastly superior forces, until they find out that they are just being used as one big experiment.

Aside from Dylan O'Brien as Thomas, the returning cast members in the franchise film series include Kaya Scodelario as Teresa Agnes, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt, Ki Hong Lee as Minho, Alexander Flores as Winston, Dexter Drayden as Frypan, Randall D. Cunningham as Clint, and Patricia Clarkson as Ava Paige. They will be joined by new additions Rosa Salazar as Brenda, Giancarlo Esposito as Jorge, Aidan Gillen as Janson/Rat-Man, Nathalie Emmanuel as Harriet, Jacob Lofland as Aris Jones, Barry Pepper as Vince, and Lili Taylor as Mary Cooper. Principal photography which started October last year is expected to wrap by end of this month.

The first The Maze Runner was a huge commercial success, grossing over $340 million worldwide against its budget of just $34 million. The film also received mainly favorable reviews, with some critics particularly praising the solid acting performance by the cast.