PLAYER ONE is READY
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ernie Cline’s debut novel Ready Player One now has a lead actor.
Tye Sheridan will join Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Ben Mendelsohn in the story about a teenager who finds himself competing in a virtual treasure hunt, facing ruthless foes in the race for a fortune left behind by the game’s creator.
Ready Player One was Ernie Cline’s debut novel (2011), and it quickly gained cult status. Zak Penn wrote the screenplay for the adaptation.
Sheridan’s casting as Wade Watts comes after countless searches, including the extreme step of establishing an open call for auditions through the ReadyPlayerOne.com web site, where anyone could submit an audition for the role. Spielberg is reported to have read actors from all over the world, without finding anyone that completely fit. Sheridan was “on hold” throughout the process, beating out thousands who submitted auditions online.
Recent credits include Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, and he’s set to play the younger Scott Summers/Cyclops in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, out this May.
Ready Player One is scheduled for release March 30, 2018.
