Steven Spielberg’s last sci-fi film was a box office success and, after a long wait, is getting a sequel, once again based on a bestselling novel.
Six years ago, Steven Spielberg filmed a pop culture phenomenon: his science fiction blockbuster Ready Player One plunged into the video game world of virtual reality. It has now been announced that the second part of the bestselling novel is also to be made into a film: Ready Player Two.
Steven Spielberg confirms sci-fi sequel to Ready Player One – with a catch
There are more than 3 reasons to get excited for Ready Player One, but the fast-paced action, Spielberg’s palpable sci-fi passion and the countless Easter Eggs to well-known films are a good place to start.
As a reminder: in Ready Player One, main character Wade (Tye Sheridan) comes from a poor background, but escapes the overpopulated world with the help of OASIS technology: within this virtual gaming reality, he is one of the most talented players. When the OASIS inventor passes away and wants to bequeath control of his computer world to the person who successfully completes his digital scavenger hunt, Wade sees that his time has come
(Ready Player One)
There has been speculation about a sequel to Ready Player One for some time. After all, Part 1 grossed an impressive 607 million dollars worldwide on a budget of 175 million US dollars, according to Box Office Mojo. But it was only last week that Steven Spielberg confirmed in an aside to Showbiz 411 that Ready Player Two is indeed in the pipeline. The only downer for fans: instead of directing, Spielberg is only returning as a producer.
Part 2 is most likely based on the 2020 sci-fi novel sequel Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. The author had already published the acclaimed first book in 2011 and delighted gamers and film fans alike with pop culture references through his Easter Egg hunt.
What’s the sci-fi sequel Ready Player Two about?
Meanwhile, the future of Ready Player One has almost become a reality thanks to augmented reality technology and VR goggles. The sequel must therefore take a further step into the future in order to remain science fiction. Readers of the original Ready Player Two already know what’s in store for us in the sequel, when a new technological achievement sends Wade and co. on another Easter Egg hunt.
Warning, mild spoilers for Ready Player Two follow
(Ready Player Two has a new Halliday puzzle as a legacy)
Wade and the remaining highest-placed “High Five”, Samantha (Olivia Cooke), Aech (Lena Waithe) and Sho (Philip Zhao), have won OASIS inventor Halliday’s (Mark Rylance) competition and thus gained the power to decide the virtual gaming world. However, Wade finds an inscription on Halliday’s bequeathed egg that leads him to an extraordinary invention: the ONI headset.
The OASIS Neural Interface (ONI) can take over a user’s head and reproduce real sensory impressions within the virtual world. However, there is a time limit of 12 hours on its use, otherwise death occurs due to synaptic overload. The friends disagree on how to deal with this discovery (and its even greater addictive potential) and put their energy into building a real spaceship at the same time.
When a certain number of ONI headsets are finally sold, a new puzzle about the “seven shards of the siren soul” emerges. This “shard puzzle” unleashes a new Easter Egg search in the world of the OASIS. But this time, Wade and the High Five find themselves on the other side of the power equation, facing off against a mysterious troupe of Egg-Hunters who call themselves the “Low Five.”
