GAME OF THRONES' Aidan Gillen Boards MAZE RUNNER Sequel

According to The Hollywood Reporter, GAME OF THRONES' Aidan Gillen has signed on to play the villain in Fox's just-announced sequel to THE MAZE RUNNER, titled THE SCORCH TRIALS.

In the second film, the Irish actor will take on "Janson, who becomes the main antagonist of the Maze Runner books. He is also referred to as Rat-Man."

In the first film, when Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape. Based on the best-selling novel by James Dashner

The film stars O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Will Poulter.

The studio greenlight THE MAZE RUNNER's sequel just days after the first opened in theaters last weekend. The film took the top spot at the weekend box, taking in $32.5 million domestically.

THE MAZE RUNNER sequel will hit theaters on September 18th, 2015.

Photo by Nick Briggs/HBO