Although Gene Wilder never officially retired from acting, the 82 year-old hasn't appeared on the big or small screen since his guest appearances on NBC's Will & Grace. However, the rumor is Steven Spielberg might be trying to convince the actor to come out of retirement.
Sources tell AICN that Wilder is being courted by Spielberg for one of his upcoming movies, saying "meetings will be or already have taken place." As for which film it could be, one source believes Spielberg is eyeing Wilder to voice a character in his THE BFG adaptation, but AICN speculates that he may want the actor to appear in READY PLAYER ONE as James Halliday, the Willy Wonka-ish creator of the virtual universe OASIS.
I again want to stress this is only a rumor, but it's a damn tasty one! According to IMDB, THE BFG is already in post-production, so if Gene Wilder does sign on, he could potentially record his voice-work for movie film in the very near future. If Wilder is going to return to acting, I would love to see him in a live-action role, but him possibly playing Halliday sounds just too good to be true. Do you think Spielberg is trying to coax Wilder out of retirement, and if so, for which project?
Steven Spielberg's Cold War thriller BRIDGE OF SPIES will be released on October 16, 2015, while THE BFG is scheduled to open on July 1, 2016, and it was recently announced that READY PLAYER ONE will be in theaters on December 15, 2017.