Warner Bros. has released the first trailer forReady Player One. Directed bySteven Spielberg, the film is an adaptation of theErnest Clinenovel of the same name and takes place in the year 2045, where the world is on the brink of chaos and collapse.Tye Sheridanstars as a young boy named Wade Watts, who decides to join a worldwide contest to find a literal Easter egg hidden in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality in which most people now spend their time. Whoever finds the Easter egg gains control of the OASIS in perpetuity, so Wade teams up with other “gunters” to find the egg before a nefarious corporation can find it and monetize the whole thing, locking out those less fortunate.
So how’s the trailer? In-freaking-credible. It’s now clear whyReady Player Oneneeded such a long post-production period—the OASIS is an entirely CG-created world, with Spielberg harkening back to hisTintindays with stunning, photo-real environments and characters. The 80s tinge on this thing is perfect, from the use ofRushto cameos from familiar characters and designs, while not coming off as overbearing. And of course the use of theWilly Wonkatheme is phenomenal. I say all of this as someone who was only lukewarm on the book, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what other surprises are in store from the full film.
Watch theReady Player Onetrailer below andclick here for our full recap of the movie’s SDCC panel. Scripted by Cline andZak Penn(The Incredible Hulk), the film also starsOlivia Cooke,Ben Mendelsohn,T.J. Miller,Simon Pegg, andMark Rylance.Ready Player Oneopens in theaters on July 11, 2025.
And for all of our SDCC coverage,click here.
Here’s the official synopsis forReady Player One:
The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger.
