Aidan Gillen was top choice to play villain in 'Maze Runner' sequel, says director

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Wes Ball, director of upcoming sequel Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, opened up Thursday about how casting Game of Thrones actor Aidan Gillen as the film's villain was a dream come true.

Ball talked to RTE news about being a fan of Gillen's for "a long time."

"I saw him in Game of Thrones; that's where I knew him from," he said. "And also the last Batman [The Dark Knight Rises] and The Wire before that from HBO. When I signed on to do this movie I immediately asked, 'Get Aidan'."

Even though the director had Gillen in mind, he wasn't optimistic that he would be able to score the actor due to his time consuming Game of Thrones schedule. Luckily, some behind-the-scenes maneuvering made the directors' wish come true.

"They knew how much I liked him and how much I wanted to bring him in," he said. "My casting director eventually pulled some strings or something and got him in."

Now that filming has finished, Ball admitted to the website just how talented Gillen is.

"He's such an amazing actor and just the subtlety... It was so interesting to work with him and find what the camera likes. Essentially, with an actor like that, it's all about the close-up! He's so subtle in his facial expressions and those little tics and things; it's just fun to watch him."

The film's second official trailer released in July features returning characters Thomas and Theresa Gladers, played by Dylan O' Brien and Kaya Scodelario, teaming up against Gillen's Janson as they attempt to survive the brutal Scorch.

The Scorch Trials is based on the James Dashner novel of the same name, and opens in theaters Sept. 18. The film was preceded by the 2014 movie The Maze Runner, which earned over $344 million at the box office.

The Maze Runner books take place in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a deadly disease called the Flare. The third and final novel, "The Death Cure," will be adapted into a single film scheduled for release Feb. 17, 2017.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials hits theaters on Sept. 18.