Steven Spielberg is reportedly set to direct Ready Player One for Warner Bros. With all the talk of what will and what won’t be Spielberg’s next film, this will apparently be his direct follow-up to The BFG following this year’s upcoming Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies starring Tom Hanks.
The film is based on the Ernest Cline novel, which tells of the following story:
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines–puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.
But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win–and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.
Zak Penn (X-Men: Last Stand, The Avengers) wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay.
[amz asin=”B004J4WKUQ” size=”small”]The big question here is a matter of rights as Cline’s novel is steeped in ’80s nostalgia. As far as how that will be handled, Warner Bros. studio president Greg Silverman told Deadline.com, “I think what we have to do is drill down to the best version of the movie and then see who wants to be a part of what will surely be a great film… What we found with The Lego Movie is that when we went and talked to those having the rights, people got excited about being involved.”
Considering The BFG doesn’t arrive until July 1, 2016 it seems a safe bet you shouldn’t expect Ready Player One until summer 2017.
Of course, this means that Indiana Jones film with Chris Pratt… were we?
