Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated film, "Ready Player One" has found its leading man, Wade Watts. Reports confirm that "X-Men: Apocalypse" star Tye Sheridan will star alongside Olivia Cooke of "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" fame.
MStars News reports that "Ready Player One" revolves around Watts (Sheridan), "a young 'gunter' searching for a hidden Easter Egg within the virtual universe known as OASIS."
Congratulations to the amazing star of 'Detour' @tyesheridan on his role in the new Spielberg movie! https://t.co/zAEBE7cS1T
— Dan Films (@Dan_Films) February 29, 2016
In the original Ernest Cline novel, Wade finds himself in a competition with Samantha Cook, who goes by the character name Art3mis. Olivia Cooke will be playing the role of Samantha and Wade's love interest in "Ready Player One."
Also on board for "Ready Player One" is "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" actor Ben Mendelsohn, who will portray the upcoming film's villain, Nolan Sorrento.
Ready Player One eyes Ben Mendelsohn for villain role: https://t.co/c3Hj2LRxQd pic.twitter.com/i5OI5V2mHm — Rooftop Film Club (@rooftopfilmclub) February 4, 2016
According to Deadline, the movie is being made by Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and DreamWorks. Producers include Steven Spielberg, De Line Pictures' Donald De Line, Dan Farah, and Spielberg's longtime collaborator, Kristie Macosko Krieger.
Steven Spielberg’s "Ready Player One" finds its lead actor https://t.co/ovHSXRTno0 pic.twitter.com/7eiHqDrDXU
— Variety (@Variety) February 25, 2016
Tye Sheridan has made several appearances in feature films, such as "Mud," "Goosebumps," "The Stanford Prison Experiment" and most recently, "A Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse."
Catch Tye Sheridan as Cyclops in "X-Men: Apocalypse" when it hits theatres on May 27. "Ready Player One" release date is slated for March 30, 2018, once the production starts this spring.