Steven Spielberg's 2018 Sci-Fi Movie With A Sequel Waiting To Be Made Is Leaving Netflix Soon

Steven Spielberg has launched several franchises throughout his career, and he's hung around to direct some of the sequels, perhaps sometimes ill-advisedly. I think the first two sequels to "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," are terrific, while the sluggish "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was one archaeological adventure too many. Passing the reins to James Mangold for the, hopefully, series-closing "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" was a wise move.

Spielberg was also wise to exit the "Jurassic Park" franchise after one sequel, and he clearly did the right thing by passing on "Jaws 2." Arguably, the most brilliant thing he's done in terms of IP management is his continued refusal to make a sequel to "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," which includes forbidding another filmmaker from stepping in to continue a story that is perfect as a one-and-done sci-fi fable.

And yet, ever since it grossed over half a billion dollars at the box office against a $175 million budget in 2018, there's been chatter that "Ready Player One," Spielberg's inventively directed adaptation of Ernest Cline's nerd-pandering sci-fi novel, could get a follow-up with the Beard behind the camera. Given Spielberg's longtime love of gaming, which dates all the way back to "Pong," there was reason to believe he might want to revisit the film's virtual universe. The director reiterated his desire to make a "Ready Player One" sequel in an interview with Showbiz411's Roger Friedman last year, but would he direct it? With the film on the verge of leaving Netflix on December 30 (right before 2025 itself draws to a close), let's revisit the sequel's state of play.

Cline published the book sequel, "Ready Player Two," in 2020, and he evidently spoke with Spielberg about where to take the story and how it might work as a film. But if you're hoping for arguably the world's greatest filmmaker to helm the sequel, you can forget it. Spielberg told Friedman that he would produce the movie but leave the shot-calling responsibilities to someone else. And personally, while I enjoyed "Ready Player One" quite a bit, I'm glad he's passing on helming the follow-up. Spielberg is 78 years old, and we're only going to get so many more movies from him. Let's make each one count.

As for the plot of "Ready Player Two," it brings back the High Five team from the first book and sends them out on another treasure hunt. I've read that their adventures lead them to a world that is dedicated to the brilliant work of Prince, so, even though I don't dig Cline's writing, perhaps the film adaptation will once again work for me.

At present, "Ready Player Two" is still in development, so you'll just have to make do with "Ready Player One" on Netflix while you still can. I'm sure it'll wind up on another streamer in short order, but let this be yet another reminder that there's no beating physical media. The presentation is miles better, and the film is yours to keep forever.