Steven Spielberg is in one of his periods of high activity. Even as he was putting the finishing touches to Cold War thriller Bridge Of Spies, he was preparing to shoot Roald Dahl adaptation The BFG. And it looks like he’s already made another project official, with Warner Bros. and DreamWorks announcing a December 15, 2017 US release date for **Ready Player One.
The director had been reported as interested in the projectback in March, but it wasn’t a done deal at the time. Now, though, he’s on board and the producers will be hoping that – unlike Robopocalypse, which has still yet to reactivate – he’ll stay that way.
Written by Ernie Cline, the screenwriter behind Fanboys, Ready Player One follows teenager Wade Watts who likes to escape his dreary, dangerous real world by logging into Oasis, a globally networked virtual utopia where users lead idyllic alternate lives.
When the game's eccentric, Steve Jobs-style billionaire creator dies, he offers up his fortune as the prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Wade is pitted against powerful corporate foes and ruthless competitors who will do anything, in the Oasis and the real world, to reach the riches first.
The script started life with Cline and Eric Eason before Cline’s pal Zak Penn was hired by Warner Bros. to take a fresh pass on boiling down the sprawling tale, laden with references to classic video games, comics, movies and other pop cultural items. Spielberg is surely key to getting this one made properly, since his clout will help unlock the many rights-heavy items and titles that will be needed to populate the story.
Bridge Of Spies, meanwhile, will be out in the UK on November 27, with** The BFG** following on July 22 next year.