Ready Player Two movie in early development, Ernest Cline says

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Ernest Cline's "Ready Player Two" was recently released and now talk has already begun about turning his sequel book into a film. According to Cline, early development is already underway on a film adaptation that will be a follow-up to Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One.

Cline confirmed the news to "Inverse" and while he stresses that development is in the very early stages, especially considering the uncertainty in the industry due to the pandemic, he says it's happening:

"It's in the early stages right now, especially since Hollywood is in limbo right now. But I can tell from the experience of making the first movie that everybody had a lot of fun."

Ready Player One was released in 2018 and received solid notices from critics, earning a 72% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the film proved to be a box office hit. By the end of its run, the movie pulled in $137.7 million at the domestic box office and $582.9 million worldwide on a budget that reportedly ranged between $155-175 million. In the film, the audience is dropped in the year 2045 onto a planet on the brink of chaos and collapse. People find salvation via the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the reclusive genius James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he promises his fortune to the first person to discover a digital Easter egg that's hidden somewhere in the OASIS. As young Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) joins the contest, he finds himself becoming an unlikely hero. The film also stars Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, and Simon Pegg.

As for "Ready Player Two", the book was released in November and plays like a direct sequel to Cline's book rather than the film adaptation. The book picks up days after Wade Watts wins James Halliday's contest and finds him making a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find, is a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS more wondrous and addictive than even Wade dreamed possible. The last Easter egg from Halliday ultimately hints at a mysterious prize.

Even though Cline says a sequel is in early development, the studio has yet to greenlight the project. Despite this formality, Ready Player One star Tye Sheridan is ready to return to the world of the OASIS. Tye Sheridan spoke on the aspect of the sequel book turning into a film and said "Recently like I've had people asking me questions about, you know, a Ready Player Two. You know, 'Is there going to be a sequel?' And I think everybody's well aware that Ernie Cline is releasing Ready Player Two, the novel. You know, but people keep asking me and I would love to have an answer for you and I think people, you know, will and can speculate all that want, but I don't really know what the plan is yet. I have my fingers crossed and, of course, I think it's great and I loved working on that film, so yeah, I hope, I hope we get to do another."

Do YOU want a sequel to Ready Player One? For those who have ready Cline's follow-up, is it worthy of a big-screen adaptation?