Studio bosses dismiss Maze Runner theft scandal

Studio bosses behind The Maze Runner franchise have dismissed reports some cast members stole Native American artefacts while shooting in a historical film location.

Earlier this week (begs05Oct15), star Dylan O'Brien courted controversy by saying in a TV chat he and his castmates pilfered items from the Diamond Tail Ranch in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they shot Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.

"They gave us this big speech when we got there to shoot and they said basically don't take anything and respect the grounds," O'Brien boasted. "They were very strict about littering and 'Don't take any artefacts...' and everyone just takes stuff (anyway).

"Within a week, five of our actors just, like, went down ill. Random stuff too: random appendectomy, random 103.5 (degree) fever, random broken ankle, it was crazy. I got sick, they had to send me home two nights in a row because I had a fever on the set."

However, executives from 20th Century Fox released a statement on Thursday (08Oct15) revealing they have conducted a thorough investigation into the alleged theft, and determined no historical artefacts were taken from the Diamond Tail Ranch.

"Twentieth Century Fox and the entire Scorch Trials production have deep respect for the local Native American culture and environment and are sorry that any actions or statements by people involved in the production led to any suggestion that our intentions were anything but deferential or that anything was taken from the area," the statement reads.

According to property manager Roch Hart, the site is not home to any known Indian burial grounds, and they were unable to find any items missing from the collection, which includes artefacts dated from 800 A.D. to 1700.