Spielberg Confirms ‘Ready Player Two’ Is in Development, Won’t Be Returning as Director!

Hollywood buzzed with updates during the recent Academy Awards, revealing fresh details about upcoming films. One big highlight came from a quick chat between Roger Friedman and Steven Spielberg. The legendary director confirmed that Ready Player Two, a follow-up to his 2018 blockbuster Ready Player One, is being developed.

However, Spielberg won’t be in the director’s chair this time—he’ll step back to produce instead. This news lines up with hints dropped earlier this year by Ernest Cline, the Austin-based author behind both the original and sequel novels.

Cline, whose 2020 book Ready Player Two inspired the new film, shared some thoughts on its progress. He said, “It’s in the early stages right now, especially since Hollywood is in limbo right now. But I can tell from the experience of making the first movie that everybody had a lot of fun.”

The first film, released in 2018 by Warner Bros., was a massive success. Directed by Spielberg and written by Cline and Zak Penn, it featured Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts (aka Parzival), Olivia Cooke as Samantha Cook (Art3mis), and Ben Mendelsohn as the ruthless Nolan Sorrento (IOI-655321).

It pulled in $607.9 million worldwide on a budget of $155–175 million. The movie also grabbed awards like Best Science Fiction Film at the 45th Saturn Awards, plus two Visual Effects Society honors, and scored nominations for an Oscar and a BAFTA for its stunning visuals.

The sequel’s story builds on the original. It picks up with Wade Watts discovering a cutting-edge virtual reality headset, sparking a new adventure to win a mysterious prize. Cline’s 2020 novel, shaped partly by the first film’s success, sets the stage for this next chapter.

While no release date has been set, and Spielberg’s role is limited to producing, the confirmation alone has fans excited. Details are slim for now, but knowing the project is moving forward is a promising start. More updates will likely come as production ramps up.