(Adds background on O'Brien)
March 18 (Reuters) - "Maze Runner" star Dylan O'Brien was
injured on the set of the latest movie in the young adult
franchise, and production on the film has been shut down while
he recovers, movie studio 20th Century Fox FOXA.O said on
Friday.
O'Brien, 24, was taken to a hospital in Vancouver, Canada
for observation and treatment, Fox said in a statement.
Hollywood trade publication Variety and celebrity website
TMZ said O'Brien was hit by a car and suffered multiple injuries
on the Vancouver set of the upcoming "Maze Runner: The Death
Cure."
Fox declined to comment on the severity of O'Brien's
injuries or how they occurred.
"Production on the film will be shut down while he recovers.
Our thoughts go out to Dylan for a full and speedy recovery,"
Fox said in its statement.
TMZ said O'Brien, who plays Thomas in the franchise,
suffered multiple broken bones in the accident.
"Maze Runner: The Death Cure" is scheduled for release in
February 2017 and is the third film in the successful movie
franchise set in a dystopian world based on James Dashner's
young adult novels.
The first two movies, released in 2014 and 2015, made about
$660 million at the global box office and established O'Brien as
one of the hottest young movie stars.
O'Brien first found fame on YouTube some 10 years ago
through posting his original videos. He later starred in the MTV
series "Teen Wolf."
The original "Maze Runner" book was inspired by William
Golding's influential 1954 novel "Lord of the Flies" about a
group of young boys left to fend for themselves on an
uninhabited island.