Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg has just been tasked by Warner Bros to direct the movie Ready Player One, which is scripted by Zak Penn.
The film is based on Ernest Cline's same-titled bestselling novel, and it will be the first time in over 10 years that the director will be working again with the studio. Their last collaboration was 2001's A.I., according to Aces Showbiz.
Warner Bros' Creative Development and Worldwide Production President Greg Silverman is very excited to have Spielberg working on one of their movies again, and has high hopes that the creative genius will work his filmmaking magic into Ready Player One.
"We are thrilled to welcome Steven back to Warner Bros," said Silverman. "We had an historic series of collaborations in the 80s and 90s and have wanted to bring him back for years. As for Ready Player One, we have always felt that Steven was the dream director for this project."
The movie, which is set in the year 2044, is all about an outcast teenager, named Wade Watts, who manages to escape his current bleak situation and is transported to a virtual world, called OASIS. However, his new virtual world is far from a respite since the teen soon finds himself going head to head with powerful corporate foes who are not afraid to do anything just to win.
Spielberg himself has been mentioned several times in the Ready Player One book, together with other famed directors such as George Lucas, David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro. All the filmmakers were "studied" by Watts while he was learning everything he can about OASIS creator James Donovan Halliday.
Warner Bros might be beyond thrilled to have Spielberg work on Ready Player One but there were other directors originally discussed to handle the sci-fi movie such as Christopher Nolan, Peter Jackson, Edgar Wright, and Matthew Vaughn.
No release date has been set for Ready Player One, and no casting announcements related to the movie.
Spielberg is currently busy with the Cold War movie, Bridge of Spies, which will star Tom Hanks as the influential Irish American lawyer James Donovan who was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to help negotiate the release of a rescue pilot detained in the Soviet Union.
At the same time, Spielberg will be working on a children's film with the adaptation of Ronald Dahl's book, The BFG.
