In the film adaptation of Ready Player One, Steven Spielberg plans to keep himself out of the movie.
In the world Ernest Cline created in Ready Player One, a society caught up in a virtual reality world is obsessed with ’80s pop culture. In the midst of all that 80s nostalgia, Spielberg will not reference any of his movies that were mentioned in the book including Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Goonies.
“They reference so many ’80s movies. I’m doing the whole pop culture thing. I’m just going to leave myself out of it. I can’t do that. Too self-referential.”
What drew Spielberg to this project was the idea that this is a world where everyone would rather live in a simulated world than a real one.
“I think it’s the future. I’m telling this story because I really feel what’s in Ready Player One is going to be in our lives before we know it.”
Spielberg plans to cast the movie by the end of the year and start shooting next July. Ready Player One is set for a December 2017 release date.