Steven Spielberg is involved in Ready Player One sequel movie

Based on the novel by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One was a 2019 sci-fi movie set in a dystopian world in which most of the humanity lived their lives in a virtual reality universe known as the OASIS. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie received decent critical acclaim and was praised for its spectacular visuals. And now, five years later, a sequel film is still in the works.

A sequel has been in the pipeline for some time now. After the first movie released, the team had no source material to develop the story further. However, in 2020, Ernest Cline published Ready Player Two, which reignited talk of making a sequel. At the moment, nothing has been green-lit at Warner Bros., although Spielberg has hinted that there's work going on to bring Ready Player Two to the big screen, and that he's involved.

Currently, Spielberg doesn't have any big gigs in his diary for 2024. “We’re in the discovery phase, trying to figure out what’s next,” he told Showbiz411. That said, when asked about Ready Player Two, he confirmed that he'd be handing over directorial duties to someone else, but he will remain around as a producer.

What is Ready Player Two about?

Ready Player Two is a much larger story than the first book. For instance, while lead character Wade Watts has to complete three challenges in the first novel, the sequel dials it up to seven. There's a whole lot more going on, perhaps a little too much to develop into a movie without the pacing being all over the place.

We (of course) return to the OASIS, where players are living in (limited) peace and harmony now, thanks to the defeat of malevolent network conglomerate IOI. Now, Wade and his friends in the 'High Five' are in charge of things.

The reception of the book was mixed. It lacked the focus of the first book and felt all over the place at times. But even so, it had great moments, particularly with challenges set in 'John Hughes world' and Middle-earth.

No release date has been set for Ready Player Two yet, nor has the movie actually been green-lit. Clearly, it's still in very early days of development.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels