‘Ready Player One’ Trailer: Steven Spielberg Boots Up Pop Culture Nostalgia

With “The Post” out of the way, Steven Spielberg isn’t taking a break, as he gets ready to release “Ready Player One” in the spring. And the latest look at the movie offers more explanation of the virtual world and the story surrounding the Spielberg’s 80’s nostalgia piece. The official synopsis reads:

In 2045, the planet is on the brink of chaos and collapse, but people find salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by James Halliday. When Halliday dies, he promises his immense fortune to the first person to discover a digital Easter egg that’s hidden somewhere in the OASIS. When young Wade Watts joins the contest, he finds himself becoming an unlikely hero in a reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical world of mystery, discovery and danger.

If you remember, the first trailer received a significant amount of backlash for being overly dependant on 80s nostalgia, namely other films, with EW breaking down all 20 references with this handy slideshow (seriously, you have to feel bad for the poor intern who had to watch that trailer a 1,000 times). Who knows if this trailer will curb some of the hatred the first one received, but Spielberg’s been on a roll, so expectations are high.

Spielberg, of late, seems to oscillate between ‘serious’ films and ‘family friendly’ entertainment with every other film. Even the release dates between “The Post” and “Ready Player One” mimic “Bridge of Spies” and “The BFG” to a certain extent. “Ready Player One” features all the major Spielberg crew, with Janusz Kaminski shooting and Michael Kahn editing, among his other frequent collaborators. One notable change, however, is Alan Silvestri will be composing the score in place of regular musical contributor John Williams.

The cast includes Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, T.J. Miller, Ben Mendelsohn and, of course, Mark Rylance. “Ready Player One” opens on March 30, 2018.