Steven Spielberg Confirms Producing Ready Player One Sequel, Ready Player Two
Metaverse | Games
2-minute read
In 2018, Steven Spielberg brought the world of "Ready Player One" to audiences, catapulting virtual reality from a tech industry term to the ultimate gamer fantasy. Everyone believed VR headsets have the potential to unlock boundless imagination within the metaverse. Yes, you surely remember the "Oasis."
Between 2022 and 2023, the Oasis was everyone's endgame for the metaverse. Tech giants like HTC, Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft, and gaming platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite have all been advancing towards this vision. Although the metaverse hype has cooled off, the recent debut of the Apple Vision Pro, a device strikingly similar to the headset depicted in the Spielberg film, has renewed interest in mixed reality and spatial computing experiences.
In 2018, Steven Spielberg brought the world of "Ready Player One" to audiences (Source: Warner Bros.)
The recent debut of the Apple Vision Pro, a device strikingly similar to the headset depicted in the Spielberg film (Source: Apple)
Spielberg has hinted at the Ready Player One sequel "Ready Player Two." After the 2024 Oscars, renowned Hollywood reporter Roger Friedman attended a Universal Pictures gala. In addition to witnessing Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy, among other film industry heavyweights, celebrating their wins at Soho House, Friedman also spoke with Spielberg and talked about the director's plans for 2024. Spielberg, enjoying a rare year of downtime, said that he is in the "discovery phase", still looking for the next project. However, when asked about "Ready Player Two," Spielberg confirmed he would serve as a producer, fueling anticipation for the next chapter in the metaverse saga.
The novel "Ready Player Two" was published in 2020, and despite mixed reviews, author Ernest Cline has been actively pushing for a film sequel. While Warner Bros. has yet to greenlight the movie project, "Ready Player One" screenwriter Zak Penn has been confirmed to script the sequel. The lead actors, Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke, who played Wade and Art3mis, respectively, are set to return. With Spielberg's promise to produce, the project's chances of coming to fruition seem promising, delivering another immersive gaming movie experience to fans.
Could this be said to be a self-fulfilling prophecy? (Source: Warner Bros.)
The scenes in "Ready Player One," where characters roam the streets wearing VR, are gradually being realized with the Vision Pro launch. (Source: Yam Olisker)
I'm especially keen to see the new headset ONI. The side effects of prolonged use of ONI and the plot where players cannot log out of the Oasis due to ONI's control inevitably remind us of "Sword Art Online's" SAO. The dialogue between science fiction and technology is always fascinating. The scenes in "Ready Player One," where characters roam the streets wearing VR, are gradually being realized with the Vision Pro launch. And who knows? In another few years, headset addiction might not be just fiction. Are you looking forward to the movie version of "Ready Player Two"?
