If anyone doubted that Steven Spielberg would be able to adapt Ernest Cline’s bestselling novel for the screen, the first Ready Player One trailer has arrived to prove the doubters wrong.
Warner Bros. Pictures debuted the trailer during the studio’s much-anticipated Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and the preview goes a long way toward proving that the 1980s nostalgia-fueled adventure through the decade’s geekiest pop culture touchstones is in very, very good hands.
After introducing audiences to protagonist Wade Watts (as played by X-Men: Apocalypse actor Tye Sheridan) and the bleak future he inhabits, the trailer goes on a frantic spree through the places and characters inhabiting OASIS, the virtual universe where Wade and the rest of the world spend their days. Fans of Cline’s novel know that Wade is one of many people who become caught up in an elaborate treasure hunt that will give the winner full control of the virtual universe, with many of the clues and tasks involved in the hunt involving famous elements of ’80s pop culture.
Those elements are on full display in the trailer for Ready Player One, which features — among countless other iconic ’80s elements — appearances by Freddy Krueger, Kaneda’s bike from Akira, and the Bigfoot monster truck. However, it’s the screen time given to Wade’s virtual, super-charged version of the DeLorean from Back to the Future that will likely elicit the loudest cheer from fans.
The film follows Wade’s attempt to solve the treasure hunt while competing against fellow hunters (nicknamed “Gunters”) and a sinister corporation looking to monetize OASIS. He must use his encyclopedic knowledge of the OASIS creator’s favorite era of pop culture in order to win the ultimate prize.
Along with Sheridan in the lead role, Ready Player One also stars Olivia Cook (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Simon Pegg (Star Trek), T.J. Miller (Deadpool), and Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). The script for the film was penned by Zak Penn (The Avengers) and Eric Eason (Manito), as well as Cline. Back to the Future trilogy composer Alan Silvestri will compose the music for the film.
Ready Player One is scheduled to hit theaters March 30, 2018. Check out our coverage of SDCC 2017 for the latest news and announcements.
