Zak Penn, co-writer of Ready Player One, has confirmed he’s currently writing the script for its long-rumoured sequel, as part of an interview with The Direct.
Penn was speaking on the red carpet for Stuart Fails To Save The Universe where he confirmed he’s “working on it” which marks the first genuine update on the project in years. Unfortunately, interest in adapting Ernest Cline’s 2020 sequel novel has simmered ever since the original Steven Spielberg film became a hit. At the time, Deadline reported that an adaptation was already in motion but there hasn’t been any major breakthroughs yet. Cline himself later confirmed that “conversations have begun with Warner Bros,” but cautioning that “we will have to wait and see.”
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The original film came out in March 2018 and is set in a dystopian near-future where the virtual OASIS offers an escape from a harsh reality. It followed Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) and his friends as they raced to claim control of the digital utopia left behind by its late creator, James Halliday (Mark Rylance). It closed with Wade sharing ownership of the OASIS among his friends and attempting to nudge people back toward the real world. Interestingly, the second novel leans hard into questions about the responsibilities that come with controlling that kind of power which is a theme that feels particularly loaded right now with the evolution of AI.
Penn also touched on the prospects of a Free Guy sequel in the same conversation. When asked about director Shawn Levy‘s earlier comments that any follow-up would need to distinguish itself from other self-actualisation stories, Penn said he wasn’t certain either way before adding that Levy and star Ryan Reynolds “felt really good about the movie and felt like they didn’t want to rush into a sequel.”
