Ever since the pop culture stuffed novel ‘Ready Player One’ debuted in 2011, fans have been saying that it would make a rather epic movie. Studios agreed and fought for the film rights and in the end, Warner Bros. came out on top. They upped the ante even more when they enlisted Steven Spielberg (who happens to be the source of a number of the references in the book) to direct the film. Though some may have been initially hesitant about the project because of inevitable changes that were going to be made, worries were put to rest as set photos and official stills started to pour out recently. And now because of San Diego Comic-Con, that initial hesitation is sure to turn to eager anticipation thanks to the first official trailer for the movie.
During WB’s epic panel on Saturday morning, Spielberg hit the Hall H stage with writers Ernest Cline & Zak Penn, and stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, and T.J. Miller to invite those in attendance to enter the Oasis with the first footage of the highly anticipated feature film. Right off the bat, we get a plethora of references, characters, and Easter eggs from legendary stories such as ‘Back to the Future’, ‘The Iron Giant’, and ‘Lord of the Rings’, as expected. But we also get to see this amazing world that mixes a dystopian existence with the digital world that was created to escape that reality to the point where people sometimes can’t tell what’s real anymore. You can check it out for yourself below, followed by the official synopsis of the film:
Set in 2045, the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday. When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery, and danger.
From start to finish, that trailer was an escalation of “No way. No WAY. NO WAY!”. I mean, Spielberg said that the Iron Giant plays a “major role” in the film. How crazy is that?! And the best part is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. As the film gets closer to its release date, I’m sure that we’ll get even more awesome references revealed over time. Until then, let us know what you think about the first trailer for ‘Ready Player One’ in the comment section.
‘Ready Player One’ starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance presses play on March 30, 2018.
