Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One slated for 2017 release

The film adaptation of Earnest Cline's book Ready Player One officially has a date for its theatrical release — December 15, 2017. It's a ways off, but with legendary director Steven Spielberg at the helm, you know it's going to be a big one.

"Any film from Steven Spielberg is an event film," said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. President of Domestic Distribution, said in a press release today, "so it felt right to date this thrilling new project from one of our greatest filmmakers for the holiday season.”

Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures are all involved in the highly anticipated sci-fi action adventure, which is based on Earnest Cline's bestseller of the same name. Ready Player One has become a cultural hit since its release in 2012. The story follows a young man, Wade Watts, on an adventurous treasure hunt in the virtual world, OASIS, with the winner promised a fortune left by the late creator of the virtual utopia. What really made the book a success, though, was the abundance of '80s video game, pop-culture, and sci-fi properties littered throughout the story. While some felt the constant references to be a bit annoying, I absolutely loved it — and the idea that all of these wonderful properties could be blended together on the big screen sounds amazing.

“From the success of the book, ‘Ready Player One’ already has a devoted following, and we’re excited for its fans and moviegoers everywhere to see this fantastically innovative story come to life. We know it couldn’t be in better hands, and look forward to working with Steven and the producers to bring it to the big screen," added Warner Bros. President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Sue Kroll.

Are you excited to see Ready Player One on the big screen?