Ernest Cline's nostalgia-soaked sci-fi 2011 novel Ready Player One is finally getting a sequel. The imaginatively titled follow-up is to be called Ready Player Two, and it's releasing in North America on November 24th. I certainly hope Cline didn't spend too long coming up with that title.
Ready Player One was never considered a critical darling, but it did go on to become a bestseller that's been translated into 37 languages. It was also adapted into a movie by Steven Spielberg back in 2018. It was... okay.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Cline's sequel would be coming later this year. While there's no word on what the book will be about, the title implies we're in for a fairly straightforward continuation. Set in the year 2045, Ready Player One saw teenager Wade Watts engage in what was essentially a worldwide virtual reality treasure hunt, in an attempt to earn enough wealth to escape the dystopian slums he lived in.
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I won't spoil the ending if you've never watched the book or read the film, but there are a lot of references to 1980's pop culture and trivia. Like, maybe they went a little overboard with it? I dunno, people clearly like nostalgia so it worked. Maybe Ready Player Two will just be an endless succession of 90's references.
It's worth noting that the movie adaptation worked in a few modern references, including Tracer from Overwatch. Presumably because Hollywood was utterly terrified of alienating the youth demographic. If Ready Player Two gets turned into a movie, I'd be willing to bet my life that it'll contain some form of dated Fortnite reference.
Anyway, Cline has clearly been working on this novel for a while now. He announced its existence way back in 2017 during a trailer launch party for Ready Player One.
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"I can't talk about it too much, but I can tell you there's no better inspiration for a writer returning to a world they've already worked on when they're seeing Steven Spielberg bringing that world to life," he said at the time (thanks, ComingSoon.net).
"To get to talk to him and get his input, one of the greatest storytellers of all-time, and a storyteller that had a direct influence on my first novel, Ready Player One. Wade carries a grail diary through the whole story to collect his clues about the Easter Egg hunt, and that's because of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
"It would have been a different story if I had not grown up watching Steven's movies. So to get to not only collaborate with him to bring the first story to life but to bounce ideas off of him for the sequel is the most gratifying thing that's ever happened to me in my life."
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.