After more than two years of radio silence, we finally have an update on the Ready Player One sequel.
Screenwriter Zak Penn recently provided a quick update while walking down the red carpet for the HBO premiere of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, confirming he’s still hard at work hammering out the script.
A page-by-page adaptation of the second book isn't going to work, as a ton of major details in the first movie were changed, especially when it came to the ending, so Penn will have some fairly significant work to do in reconciling the differences between the book and film for the sequel.
The original 2018 blockbuster was based on Ernest Cline’s hit novel and directed by Steven Spielberg, racking up a massive $609.7 million worldwide.
Cline then went on to drop a follow-up book in 2020, reportedly writing it specifically with a movie sequel in mind.
Spielberg previously confirmed that the sequel is in development, but he reportedly won't return to the director's chair and will only produce the film.
Set in the year 2045, Ready Player One follows teenager Wade Watts as he uses the OASIS, a hyper-realistic VR world, to escape his bleak life.
Like millions of other users, Wade is obsessed with finding a hidden Easter egg left behind by the system's deceased creator. The reward? Unimaginable wealth and total control over the OASIS.
The only problem is IOI, a ruthless mega-corporation willing to eliminate the competition in both the virtual world and real life to take power for themselves.
In Ready Player Two, the story picks up immediately after Wade finds the Easter egg and gains control over OASIS. He finds the VR's creator has also left behind the OASIS Neural Interface (ONI), which dials up the sensory capabilities of the OASIS to 11, allowing people to taste, smell, and feel like never before.
This creates a rift between Wade and his friends, who think that releasing ONI to the public will cause most people to abandon the real world altogether.
Complicating matters further is the release of an evil, rogue facsimile AI of the OASIS inventor who prevents users from logging out of the system in a page straight out of the anime Sword Art Online. The ultimate threat is that use of the ONI is limited to 12 consecutive hours; otherwise, permanent brain damage can occur.
Lead actor Tye Sheridan (Wade Watts / Parzival) has publicly voiced his desire to return to the franchise. The rights for the film series currently remain with Warner Bros.