The film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One has been in the works even before the book was published, and today, we’re learning Steven Spielberg has been selected as its director.

Spielberg will begin working on Ready Player One once he’s done working on his current project, a revival of the 1989 fantasy cartoon, The BFG. Ready Player One also marks the return of Spielberg to Warner Bros. after a 14-year absence. The last film he directed for Warner Bros. was A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001.

Ironically, the main character of Ready Player One, Wade Watts, mentions Spielberg and his films, such as E.T. and the Indiana Jones franchise. The book is also filled with pop culture references throughout, which could lead to some licensing issues for the film. Fortunately, Warner Bros. executive Greg Silverman is hopeful things will work out as he cited the success of The LEGO Movie, which was filled with pop culture referencers.

Ready Player One has been a cult hit among gamers, as the story revolves around a massive video game with a lucrative Easter egg hidden by its creator. Since so much of the story takes place in the virtual world, the report speculates that companies like Magic Leap could get involved, letting viewers experience some VR themselves in order to watch the movie. For the time being, President of Creative Development Greg Silverman simply said they have their eye on "all the groundbreaking visual effects and technology available worldwide."

Source: Deadline