'Maze Runner' Star Dylan O'Brien -- Studio Steps In ... If You Stole Artifacts, Give Them Back

"Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" star Dylan O'Brien is getting called to the principal's office -- after he bragged about stealing Native American artifacts from the movie's set, he'll have to answer to 20th Century Fox studio execs.

O'Brien spilled the beans about jacking the stuff a couple weeks ago on "Live with Kelly & Michael" -- and did it in a pretty insensitive way ... admitting they'd been warned to leave any native artifacts they might stumble upon during filming. He said they took stuff anyway, and joked they'd been cursed because several cast members got sick.

TMZ spoke with Roch Hart, who manages Diamond Tail Ranch in Albuquerque -- where the movie was shot -- and he was pissed about O'Brien's comments. He told us he wasn't sure what, if anything, O'Brien and his co-stars really did take -- but said, "If the artifacts are not returned, we will be contacting our attorney."

Hart said he called 20th Century Fox, the film's distributor, on Tuesday to see if it would offer any assistance, and a few hours later he was told Fox would reach out to the cast and crew. Hart says he's been told the studio will find out if anything was taken, and if so ... make it right.

Leave things where you find them, kids!