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Steven Spielberg to Direct Sci-Fi Film ‘Ready Player One’

Steven Spielberg looks to have found his next movie, having attached himself to direct the bigscreen adaptation of “Ready Player One” for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow.

Ernest Cline penned the popular sci-fi novel, an adaptation of which the studio has been trying to get off the ground for some time with everyone from Robert Zemeckis to Christopher Nolan showing interest at one time or another.

Donald De Line, Dan Farah and Kristie Macosko Krieger will also produce.

Zak Penn wrote the script.

The novel, published in 2011, is set in a not-too-distant future where advanced Internet, gaming and virtual reality technologies have changed the world as we know it and led to the creation of the Oasis, a virtual reality universe that people live in and value more than the real world.

Jesse Ehrman and Racheline Benveniste will oversee for the studio.

“We are thrilled to welcome Steven back to Warner Bros. We had an historic series of collaborations in the ’80s and ’90s and have wanted to bring him back for years,” said Greg Silverman, president, creative development and worldwide production, Warner Bros. Pictures. “As for ‘Ready Player One,’ we have always felt that Steven was the dream director for this project.”

The CAA-repped Spielberg recently finished production on the Tom Hanks drama “Bridge of Spies,” which bows in October. He will next start shoot the feature adaptation of Roahl Dahl’s “The BFG.”

Deadline Hollwyood first reported the news.

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