Steven Spielberg to direct video game flick Ready Player One for Warner Bros

After speculation that Christopher Nolan would direct the popular novel READY PLAYER ONE, we now have confirmation that the movie will be helmed by none other than Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is set to direct the adaptation of Ernest Cline's novel after he completes production on THE BFG and it would mark the filmmaker's first project at Warner Bros in fourteen years.

There are some hurdles that still need to be cleared in making READY PLAYER ONE happen, namely the need for rights to various 1980s video games that populate the novel. Warner Bros seems confident that they can make it happen as they did with THE LEGO MOVIE, but aside from that, the movie looks very likely to finally make it to the big screen.

The book takes place in 2044 and follows the story of a virtual-reality game creator who offers up his entire company to the best player who can find an Easter egg in one of his many virtual worlds via a game called OASIS. A teenager named Wade Watts decides to take it on after millions have failed over many years. The key to winning the game is a plethora of pop culture clues from the 1980s. Whomever figures it out and wins the game — without having their avatars killed in the process — takes over the entire OASIS empire.

My only hesitation in getting excited about this is the number of projects that Steven Spielberg has become attached to in recent years only to have them move to other directors (AMERICAN SNIPER) or fall apart completely (ROBOPOCALYPSE). The studio seems excited at having Spielberg back for his first WB project since A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Deadline also reports that the studio could potentially leverage virtual reality company Magic Leap to integrate their state of the art technology into the film.

READY PLAYER ONE has no concrete dates set, but the screenplay by Zack Penn is complete and with Spielberg on board it is only a matter of time before the names start getting added to the cast. I would expect the film to go into production no earlier than next year for a potential 2017 release.