It’s a welcome return to sci-fi for legendary director Steven Spielberg… as he reportedly signs on for Ready Player One.
According to Deadline, the legendary director will helm the big screen adaptation of Ready Player One – a dystopian sci-fi story from novelist Ernest Cline.
“Steven Spielberg is set to direct Ready Player One, the highly anticipated project based on the popular sci-fi book by Ernest Cline that takes place in a virtual world,” they said. “What a coup for Warner Bros, which will bring it to the screen along with Village Roadshow. This is expected to be Spielberg’s next movie after The BFG.”
The original story revolves around Wade – a young man who spends most of his time (much like the rest of the world) jacked into an online virtual simulator known as OASIS. Searching for an all-powerful Easter Egg planted by the game’s creator as a sort-of prize, Wade hopes to claim it for himself… but all is not as innocent as it seems.
Hoping to take control of OASIS by winning the Easter Egg contest, rival company IOI is onto Wade’s every move… and as he befriends a group of people who are also looking for it, they soon become the target of IOI’s increasingly aggressive tactics.
Of course, this marks Spielberg’s return to Warner Bros after a 14-year absence… and many fans are excited to see the iconic director return to science-fiction.
Could this be the perfect film for Spielberg to tackle?
It’s certainly a rather ambitious project, and would benefit from the experience of a director such as Spielberg. And let’s not forget that Spielberg himself was a huge fan of ‘80s video games – having even assembled an arcade collection of his own.
But who will star in the ambitious adaptation?
For now, there are no further details… so we’ll have to wait and see. But this could be one of the most highly-anticipated sci-fi adaptations in recent years.
Do you think Spielberg is the right man for Ready Player One? Who would you like to see as Wade? Let us know what you think in the comments below…