Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One to hit theaters December 2017

You never can tell if Steven Spielberg is going to make a film these days until production actually begins. With cancellations on films like AMERICAN SNIPER and ROBOPOCALYPSE, Spielberg was starting to turn into Guillermo Del Toro with the number of announced projects that he had to back out of. Now, we have confirmation on a release date that will make READY PLAYER ONE the next film from Steven Spielberg and his first foray into science fiction and action in several years. The film now has been given an official release date of December 15, 2017.

The adaptation of Ernest Cline's best-selling novel has been developing for years with rumors that Christopher Nolan was interested before Spielberg began circling the project. Cline himself said he thinks Spielberg is the only filmmaker who can convince the large number of properties from the 1980s that populate the novel to provide the rights to use their products in the film.

Here's a synopsis for the novel, READY PLAYER ONE.

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.

Spielberg's last film to hit theaters was LINCOLN in 2012. He has the Tom Hanks thriller BRIDGE OF SPIES opening later this year and the family fantasy THE BFG next summer. With a release date of the end of 2017 for READY PLAYER ONE, I would anticipate that production will begin as soon as post-production ends on THE BFG early next year. With the release date announced, I hope that means the marketing rights are already cemented and no other hurdles stand in the film's way.

I have not yet ready READY PLAYER ONE but I will definitely be adding it to my list now that the movie is locked in to debut on December 15, 2017.