Steven Spielberg has made his first Ready Player One casting decision.
The director of the upcoming adaptation has chosen Olivia Cooke to star as Ar3mis. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know exactly why this is such an important casting decision. And if you haven’t, let’s not spoil things.
Where have I seen her before?
Cooke is probably best known for her role on Bates Motel. She also starred in The Signal last year, which was a pretty slick piece of indie sci-fi that’s worth a look if you missed it.
And what is Ready Player One about?
The original novel by Ernie Cline is set in a grim future where Wade Watts, an impoverished teen, finds solace in an online virtual reality program called the OASIS. The OASIS itself is a pretty intriguing setting, serving as a platform that hosts thousands of unique worlds, some of which serve as games, while others are simply explorable locations.
The OASIS holds a greater mystery though. Upon his death, the program’s creator revealed a vast, multi-stage treasure hunt, with clues hidden deep within various worlds. The first person who reaches the end of the contest will inherit the creator’s incredible fortune, and control over the OASIS. Wade’s quest to crack the mystery puts him on a collision course with some powerful forces, including a mysterious OASIS inhabitant named Art3mis.
It’s a pretty engrossing look at virtual spaces, with a huge helping of 80s pop culture on top (the OASIS’s creator was obsessed with the era), all framed around a really fun adventure.
What else do we know about the movie?
Aside from Steven Spielberg directing, not a whole lot. We know that Ernest Cline is adapting his own novel, so that’s a good sign, but other than that, Cooke’s casting is the first real bit of news we’ve had in a long time.
That’s no surprise though, as it’s still quite a ways off, with a December 2017 release date being eyed.
