Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the Ernest Cline novel, Ready Player One, is expected to go big at San Diego Comic-Con next week, with many anticipating that a first trailer for the uber-nerdy sci-fi movie will air during Warner Bros’ big Hall H panel on Saturday. Warner Bros. has, quite rightly, recognized that we’ll all need something to do while we count down the 8 days until the trailer’s release, so they’ve kindly released a first look photo from the movie (via EW), featuring Tye Sheridan as the protagonist, Wade Watts.
If you’ve read Cline’s novel, you’ll know that it’s absolutely loaded with easter eggs of pop culture properties and classic brands, and this image certainly continues that trend. Look beyond and around Wade Watts aka Parzival, and you’ll notice references to everything from He-Man to Garbage Pail Kids. We’re sure that there’s more to be discovered if you look a little closer – there’s a QR code on the left of the image that must unlock something – but just knowing that Spielberg is embracing the book’s fun, geeky tone is incredibly exciting.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Ready Player One is set in a near future in which millions of gamers (both casual and fanatic) escape their impoverished lives by spending hours upon hours in a virtual reality environment known as the OASIS. When the billionaire creator of this platform dies, he leaves behind a challenge to OASIS users to find a hidden virtual ‘easter egg’. The first person to unlock all the clues and find the egg will be gifted his entire fortune, resulting in the biggest scavenger hunt the world has ever seen.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, and Simon Pegg, Ready Player One is slated to hit theaters on March 30th, 2018.
