The script for the adaptation of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One is done. Now, a problem or two lie ahead...
A fine nerdy novel for fans of 80s video games is Ernest Cline'sReady Player One. It's set in a future world, where knowledge of games of yesteryear proves pivotal. And spotting the nerdisms is all part of the fun.
Warner Bros has an option to bring Ready Player One to the screen, and Zak Penn had been contracted to write the screenplay. Given the content of the book, that's no easy challenge, but Penn has now told Nerd Report that "I’m not going to tell you how I did it but I did do it and I got Ernie’s approval on it."
Furthermore, Penn revealed that the script is finished, and is in the hands of Warner Bros now, which has a decision to make over what to do next.
So, perhaps the big question: has the work begun on getting the rights to use all the classic videogame properties that are referenced in the book? And here's the answer: no.
"Put it this way," explained Zak Penn. "I took some huge liberties in the script. Not as many in the book. If you had to licence the stuff in the book, it would cost a billion dollars. You write a script, you take your chances, you say this is what we’re going to do. This is where we’re going to take cars and scenes from these movies and these properties, and then you hope that you’ll get the rights to it, but we’re not at that point yet."
We suspect there's some way to go yet before Ready Player One gets near the screen. But you can read more at the Nerd Report, here.
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