Last updated on August 6, 2026
The long silent Ready Player Two movie has a fresh sign of life. Screenwriter Zak Penn, who co wrote the 2018 hit Ready Player One with author Ernest Cline, confirmed that he is still working on the sequel script, giving fans their clearest update on the project in roughly two years.
Zak Penn confirms he is still writing the script
Speaking on the red carpet for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Penn was asked directly about the status of Ready Player Two. His answer was short but meaningful: “I am working on it.” It is not a detailed progress report, but after nearly two years without any news, even a brief confirmation is enough to reassure fans that Warner Bros has not quietly shelved the project.
Penn co wrote the original Ready Player One screenplay alongside Cline, adapting the author’s 2011 debut novel into a film directed by Steven Spielberg. That movie leaned heavily on gaming and pop culture references, following Wade Watts and his friends as they raced through the virtual OASIS to inherit control of the platform from its late creator, James Halliday.
What Ready Player Two will bring to the OASIS
The sequel adapts Cline’s 2020 novel of the same name, which picks up shortly after the events of the first book. The story centers on the OASIS Neural Interface, known as ONI, a fully immersive brain to computer technology that Wade discovers hidden inside Halliday’s vaults. Where the first film explored an underdog quest through a virtual playground, the follow up is expected to dig into themes of technological addiction and the responsibility that comes with controlling powerful new tools, ideas that feel especially relevant given the current pace of AI development.
Spielberg’s role has already shifted for the sequel. During a March 2024 industry event, the director confirmed he will produce Ready Player Two through Amblin Entertainment rather than direct it himself, leaving the director’s chair open for someone else to take on the expanded virtual world.
A long road since the first movie
Interest in a live action Ready Player Two has existed almost since Cline published the novel in 2020. Around that time, the author said in interviews that conversations with Warner Bros had already begun, though he stressed the project was still in its early stages and that Hollywood itself was in a period of uncertainty. A separate graphic novel adaptation of the book was also announced, though that release is unrelated to the film and is now expected in 2028.
Ready Player One grossed more than 607 million dollars worldwide against a 175 million dollar budget when it opened in March 2018, a result strong enough to justify a sequel on box office terms alone. Even so, updates on the follow up have been rare, making Penn’s brief confirmation the most significant news the project has received in years.
No release window, cast additions, or director have been announced yet. For now, Ready Player One is available to stream on HBO Max in the United States.
I’m passionate about books and video games. These two great passions represent, for me, a boundless universe where I can “escape” from reality whenever I need or want to. There are so many stories, worlds, and landscapes where I can instantly teleport that I don’t think a whole lifetime would be enough to explore them all (though it would be my greatest dream to be able to).
