Ernest Cline, who was a huge fan of director and producer,Steven Spielberg, made his movies a major player in his homage to 80s pop culture book, Ready Player One. However, although his idol is set to direct his novel, Spielberg has revealed that he will not be referencing any of the films he has made in the film adaptation.
Spielberg is currently in pre-production and casting for the film whose screenplay was adapted for the big screen by Zak Penn. With Spielberg being such a giant figure in 80s movie culture, it is difficult to imagine how Ready Player One might work without referencing the director at all.
"I'm doing the whole pop culture thing. I'm just going to leave myself out of it. I can't do that. Too self-referential," Spielberg said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Ready Player One was published in 2011 and is set in a dystopian future of 2044 where teenagers can plug themselves into a virtual world called OASIS where they can escape from the ugly realities of life.
It is in this virtual world where many of the 80s pop culture references occur, including a custom DeLorean (the time travelling car from the Spielberg-produced Back To The Future Trilogy) being driven through OASIS.
Many fans of Spielberg as well as the Prometheus Award-winning book are disappointed over Spielberg's decision to cut himself out of the movie. However, he says it is crucial to leave himself out so he does not get in the way of the storytelling.
"This movie is going to show why it's interesting not living in the real world but what we're missing by not. It's a cautionary tale but it's also a big rockin' adventure movie, too," he said.
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