SDCC 2017: Ready Player One
You’ll need to watch this trailer a couple times to notice every detail. Chris Hardwick was on hand to introduce the Warner Bros. panel, beginning with Ready Player One. Prior to bringing Spielberg out on stage, there was a montage of Warner Bros. films from the past ten years, obviously ending with a huge emphasis on Wonder Woman, which received a standing ovation from the crowd. Wonder Woman is quickly becoming the new face of DC and Warner Bros. I would bet good money that they include her in every poster collage, video clip, books, etc for years to come.
Hardwick initially just introduced Spielberg and author Ernest Cline, where they showed the teaser trailer, which really does look incredible.
I love the visuals on display. Seeing it on Hall H’s screen was truly mind-boggling. I have never ready the book, so I can’t make connections, but this short teaser and the fun panel have motivated me to go purchase it.
After the trailer, Hardwick brought out Tye Sheridan, TJ Miller, Ben Mendelsohn, Zak Penn, and Olivia Cooke.
Cline said he learned to become a storyteller through films of Spielberg, so it was a dream come true to have him direct the adaptation. Of course, I image most writers credit Spielberg for inspiration.
When discussing pre-production, Spielberg mentioned the difficulties and that the creation of the virtual world took 2.5 years. He was very humble about giving credit to Cline, citing him as the guide for the whole film. There was the sense that they really got along and closely collaborated with each other. Spielberg would consult him throughout the filming.
Spielberg joked that after he read the book, he said, “they’re going to need a younger director.”
Zak Penn chimed in, saying that Ready Player One was one of the most complex film he’s ever worked on. There’s so much in the book, with the challenge of whittling it down to a reasonable length. He said early on, “We need Spielberg to direct it. But he’s never going to do it.” When Spielberg came aboard, Penn admitted that it made the job a lot easier. Many of the characters in the book still appear in the film, but they’re just visible in the background or the corner of the screen.
Just going off the trailer, I have a feeling people will be studying frames of this movie for a long time. I absolutely looks like a film where you notice something new every time you watch it.
T.J. Miller came out wearing an E.T. shirt and Back to the Future shoes, saying that Spelberg doesn’t like to reference his own films, so he took it upon himself to represent The Beard.
Hardwick asked Cline, “Is this the vision you imagined when writing?” Cline was quick to answer, “it’s better. I wanted to pay tribute to pop culture, and never thought it could ever get made.” He gave a shout out to Last Action Hero and its inspiration, how a character gets trapped in a film.
Last Action Hero as inspiration?!? I need to read this book asap.
I have some good news and bad news: The bad is that there is no Sinistar in the film, as asked by an audience member. The good news: Iron Giant is a major player in the film.
And according to Miller, it’s a little bit more accurate than Lawnmower Man.
