Maze Runner - Griever Concept Art

At the very beginning it was planned to make the Grievers as big transformer-like robots. However I had already created this test design in my free time, before I got the job, which showed the hybrid creature idea from the novel. I presented the design to director Wes Ball and he loved it. I pretty much completed the design in this first concept, we only added a mechanical scorpion tail afterwards in order to make them more threatening. Slugs and coconut crabs were a big influence for me in finding the overall body shape. The head is a mixture of caterpillars, bulldogs and piranhas.

Later Method Studios came on board and used my designs for the VFX.