Ready Player Two might finally be moving forward. Screenwriter Zak Penn, who co-wrote 2018’s Ready Player One with Ernest Cline, has confirmed to The Direct that he’s currently writing the script for the long-gestating sequel. Speaking exclusively to the outlet on the red carpet for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Penn confirmed the project is still in development, simply stating, “I am working on it.” The update ends years of silence on a film first announced back in 2020. Steven Spielberg confirmed in 2024 he would only produce this time, stepping back from the director’s chair.
What Was Ready Player One About?
For anyone who needs a refresher, the first film is set in 2045, in a future where people find themselves escaping the troubles of the real world in a virtual reality universe called OASIS. When OASIS’s creator, James Halliday, dies, he leaves his fortune and control of the world to the first person to find the three keys hidden in the world. Naturally, this leads to a frenzy, with players and Innovative Online Industries (IOI), the manufacturer of virtual reality equipment, scrambling for the fortune and control of OASIS.
What Could Ready Player Two Be About?
Cline’s 2020 novel offers a sense of where the story could go. The sequel takes the world of the OASIS and flips it into something out of Westworld or Jurassic Park, as the characters embark on a new quest where a new technology could change the world forever. Unlike Ready Player One, James Halliday isn’t exactly seen as the benevolent genius he was before. Instead, he’s shown to be a bit of a creep as his obsession for Og Morrow’s wife, Kira, borders on the criminal. In fact, it actually is. And this is the part that might upset some fans of the original story, as it addresses a similar theme that Jurassic Park introduced: just because we can doesn’t mean we should.
Most of the characters in Ready Player Two are generally unlikable, and it feels intentional. The story is all about how absorbed the people have become in the OASIS that they’ve forgotten how to be actual human beings. With the new ability to experience sensory sensations like never before and to live in someone else’s body, it seems like there’s no point in living in the real world anymore. There’s never really a point of realisation where they discover the seriousness of their actions and shut off the artificially created world; the ending feels more like a tragedy than a moment of conclusion.
Wade Watts and his friends are so obsessed with the potential of immortalisation and the transferring of consciousness that they forget about the here and now. While Ready Player One was an ode to pop culture and escapism, the sequel reveals why the characters are so obsessed with nostalgia and the past. Cline doesn’t see this as a crutch but as something that holds power for associative memory. Ready Player Two is also interesting in its approach to the topic of AI: while most sci-fi novels want you to heed the warning, Cline’s book is about how it could do more for society than ever imagined. It doesn’t just solve technological challenges, but it also holds the ability to mend the soul.
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How Ready Player One Was Received
The original film, meanwhile, remains a fan favorite. Ready Player One is a modern-day geek’s dream that will become a hallmark movie of your collection. It’s a clever social commentary about the online world – both the pitfalls and advantages of it. It displays how it’s possible to find friends (and even love) in the digital sphere, but it’s still important to come up and take a breath of fresh air in the real world. The film adaptation is also far more family-friendly, employing the same tone as Spielberg’s wholesome action-adventure offerings. There’s an element of danger in it, but the way it’s executed feels like something out of The Goonies rather than Schindler’s List.
From a technical standpoint, what Spielberg does is remarkable. He manages to balance the CGI with real-world elements incredibly well, while providing us with a jaw-dropping OASIS. The world is drop-dead gorgeous and authentic, feeling like it’s infinite and filled with unimaginable possibilities.
The two standouts, though, are Mark Rylance (James Halliday) and Ben Mendelsohn (Nolan Sorrento). Rylance portrays the intelligent outsider with such care and class that he fills your heart with his innocence and positive worldview. Mendelsohn, on the other hand, does what he does best: the villain. He’s such a snivelling creep – a little over the top at times – yet you can’t help but love his interpretation of the corporate bad guy.
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With Penn back at the keyboard, Ready Player Two may finally be closer to reality than it’s been in years. No director, cast, or release window has been attached yet.
Where to Watch Ready Player One
Ready Player One is currently streaming on HBO Max, and it’s also available to rent or buy digitally on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
