Ready Player One Trailer (2018)

Trailer for Ready Player One, starring Hannah John-Kamen, T.J. Miller, Ben Mendelsohn, Tye Sheridan, Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance.

The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger.

With what could become a sci-fi classic, it makes sense that a lot of directors were considered. Christopher Nolan, Robert Zemeckis, Matthew Vaughn, Peter Jackson, and Edgar Wright. All fantastic directors, all of whom were at once an option to direct Ready Player One. As we now know, Steven Spielberg eventually landed the gig. And that, of course, is awesome.

Spielberg had hoped his long-time collaborator John Williams would do the music, scheduling conflicts prevented that from happening. Forcing Spielberg to do something he has only done a couple times before -- work with another composer. The gig went to Alan Silvestri. And who is he? He's got quite the impressive filmography, which can be checked out on IMDB.

Holy goosebumps Batman! This movie looks awesome! Unlike the trailer out of Comic Con, this new version provides plenty of backstory, along with our first and likely only glimpse of Mark Rylance as James Halliday. He looks hilarious in the best possible way.

There is so much here to like and it looks like Spielberg took everything from the book and amped it up a bit. Splash on an awesome mix tape and Ready Player One looks like the film to see come March.

If I can only make one recommendation -- go read the book! It's a terrific book that is deserving of being read before you see this adaptation in theaters.

Oh, and let's hope the film itself takes advantage of some of the hits from the 80s in its soundtrack.