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Will Nolan's next film be READY PLAYER ONE?

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B

Blader

Member
http://collider.com/ready-player-one-christopher-nolan/

According to Tracking Board, Warner Bros. hopes to bring Nolan back home with an offer to direct the adaptation of Ready Player One.

The Ernest Cline book is set in the year 2044 and follows a teenager who sets off on a treasure hunt in an immersive online world that puts his 80s pop culture knowledge to the test.
Click to expand...

Here’s the book synopsis:

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.
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This sounds so far outside of Nolan's wheelhouse that I both want and don't want this.
 
X

xxracerxx

Don't worry, I'll vouch for them.
Yuck. I put the book down after 100 pages because it was just soooo fucking heavy handed. I get it buddy, you grew up in the 80s/90s.
 
D

DaveH

Member
How do these two things go together at all?

Ready Player One is dumb fantasy fun.

Nolan strives for intelligent serious films.
 
X

xxracerxx

Don't worry, I'll vouch for them.
Currygan said:
never heard of this book, but the concept sounds like it will get real old real fast
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It treats the reader like idiots in my opinion, feels like it is just screaming at you to get the references and if you don't it is cocking its fedora and smiling.

I mean here is a supposed list of movie references made in the book (and this is not including videogames/music/etc).

http://letterboxd.com/bbbgtoby/list/every-movie-referenced-in-ready-player-one/
3zOwYdv.jpg
Click to expand...
 
D

DaveH

Member
The only thing really enjoyable about Ready Player One is its unabashed hijacking of licensed intellectual property... so characters are literally flying X-Wings and piloting Mecha-Godzilla and casting D&D spells... all in a virtual world centuries later (with, apparently, no culture or media in between). In the context of the book, that's all fair use... but you're going to run into licensing issues on a level of Lego Movie to the power of Wreck It Ralph to to it justice... and if you generize it, it loses its main hook.
 
C

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
P

Penguin

Member
T

tokkun

Member
My brother got me the book for Christmas a couple years back. It is truly awful. There are pages of the characters just listing off 80s movies and Commodore 64 games they remember and saying they are awesome without making any sort of meaningful commentary about them. It's like reading a transcript of the Giant Bombcast.
 
Allforce

Allforce

Member
DaveH said:
The only thing really enjoyable about Ready Player One is its unabashed hijacking of licensed intellectual property... so characters are literally flying X-Wings and piloting Mecha-Godzilla and casting D&D spells... all in a virtual world centuries later (with, apparently, no culture or media in between). In the context of the book, that's all fair use... but you're going to run into licensing issues on a level of Lego Movie to the power of Wreck It Ralph to to it justice... and if you generize it, it loses its main hook.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this, it's a licensing nightmare. They go to some "realm" where it's all just an 80's arcade don't they?

The book was dumb fun, as someone inching into their late 30's I enjoyed the concept of this social outcast in the year 2050 who's obsessed with the weirdness from that era. Reminds me a lot of some GAF members who only play like retro titles and anything modern is scum.
 
O

OricWindstar

Member
I had no idea people disliked this book so much. I love it and, as someone born in 90's, I have little nostalgic connection to the references they make.
 
B

Blader

Member
DaveH said:
The only thing really enjoyable about Ready Player One is its unabashed hijacking of licensed intellectual property... so characters are literally flying X-Wings and piloting Mecha-Godzilla and casting D&D spells... all in a virtual world centuries later (with, apparently, no culture or media in between). In the context of the book, that's all fair use... but you're going to run into licensing issues on a level of Lego Movie to the power of Wreck It Ralph to to it justice... and if you generize it, it loses its main hook.
Click to expand...

Zak Penn (lol, red flag right there) said he took huge creative liberties with the script, so I'm sure plenty of those references have been cut right out.

It does seem really strange that WB saw this script and thought of Nolan. Only thing I can think of is that he expressed some kind of interest in it at one point, otherwise really bizarre choice to offer him out of the blue.
 
E

Extra Sauce

Member
Um, I might have to read that book. Sounds like it caters to several of my obsessions. The 80's, videogames, post-apocalyptic fiction...
 
M

Mesoian

Member
Cyan said:
That would be a colossal waste of his skill.
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Yup, especially considering we're currently drowning in animes that have almost identical plotlines to RPO.

That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing Edgar Wright take a stab at it.
 
K

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
Sounds like WB really want Christopher Nolan directing films for them, but wish he'd stop making Christopher Nolan films.
 
B

black_13

Banned
The book is just so poorly written though. It had a good idea but you could tell the author doesn't have a clue about writing anything. If they did a major rework of the story it could be decent but not something Nolan should be doing.
 
M

mdubs

Banned
Nah screw that, let Nolan work on what he wants. From the sounds of it he pretty much has autonomy in deciding what he wants to work on anyways
 
K

KingofGourds

Member
The novel is a ridiculously self-indulgent piece of nerd wish fulfillment with serious maturity issues.

Sounds perfect for Nolan.
 
J

jond76

Banned
The book was fun with a rushed third act. Jesus, between this and the Terminator thread, it's like the "no fun allowed" show.
 
F

forgeforsaken

Member
xxracerxx said:
Yuck. I put the book down after 100 pages because it was just soooo fucking heavy handed. I get it buddy, you grew up in the 80s/90s.
Click to expand...

Hated it as well, and I grew up with that stuff and have nostalgia for it.

Also, he occasionally just randomly drops something more recent into the mix with the 80s stuff because he likes it.
 
J

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
By far the worst book I've ever read, hopefully Nolan stays away from this garbage.

Anyone who actually enjoys and relates with that book needs to take off their fedora and take a good, long look in their mirror.
 
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