Warner Bros. announced that it has tapped award-winning director Steven Spielberg to helm the gamer film "Ready Player One."
Spielberg's latest project is the live-action adaptation of author Ernest Cline's 2011 novel of the same name, Deadline reported.
The book tells the story of a teenager named Wade Watts living in a dystopian future in the year 2044. Like the other citizens, Watts spends his time in a virtual world called Oasis, which is filled with puzzles and pop culture references from the 20th century.
Spielberg's involvement in the project was unveiled by Greg Silverman, the president of Warner Bros' Creative Development and Worldwide Productions. According to the executive, Spielberg's participation marks his monumental return as a director for the studio. His last work with Warner Bros. was the 2001 sci-fi film "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," Game Spot has learned.
"We are thrilled to welcome back Steven back to Warner Bros.," Silverman said in a statement according to the Hollywood Reporter.
"We had a historic series of collaborations in the 80s and 90s and have wanted to bring him back for years," he added. "As for 'Ready Player One,' we have always felt that Steven was the dream director for this project."
For the film adaptation, Spielberg will be following the script drafted by Zak Penn, who is credited for co-writing "X-Men: The Last Stand" with Simon Kinberg and "The Avengers" with Joss Whedon.
Aside from "Ready Player One," Spielberg is also working on another novel-based film adaptation. His upcoming film "The BFG" is based on Roald Dahl's book of the same title from 1982.
Warner Bros. has not yet made official announcements as to who will star in "Ready Player One" or when it will be commercially released. However, the film is expected to premiere after Spielberg's "The BGF" debuts on July 1, 2016.
