Mark Rylance Joins 'Ready Player One', May Be Attached To Steven Spielberg Forever

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Hot on the heels of joining Steven Spielberg's adaptation of The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara yesterday, actor Mark Rylance has added one more collaboration with the iconic director. The Oscar-winner actor will be reuniting with Steven Spielberg for a fourth time with a key role in Ready Player One, the adaptation of Ernest Cline's bestselling sci-fi adventure novel of the same name. Find out more about the Ready Player One cast addition after the jump.

For those who may be unfamiliar with Ready Player One, here's the official synopsis form Amazon:

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

It sounds like an amazing story that will be even more exciting in the hands of a director like Steven Spielberg. Tye Sheridan (X-Men: Apocalypse, Mud) has the lead role of Wade while THR reports Rylance will play the James Donovan Halliday, the creator of the OASIS digital world that he loves so much. Halliday is described an enigmatic figure with shades of Howard Hughes, Steve Jobs, and Willy Wonka. The latter detail had people thinking that this role was the reason Spielberg was rumored to be trying to get Gene Wilder out of retirement. If that rumor was true, it sounds like it didn't work.

Rylance won't be the only one reuniting with Spielberg though. Simon Pegg also has a role in the film as Ogden Morrow, the co-creator of OASIS. The Shaun of the Dead and Star Trek star previously worked with Spielberg on his animated motion-capture adaptation The Adventures of Tintin.

Ready Player One is already anticipated by everyone who read the book, but based on the storyline alone, I'm betting that this movie is going to have something for everyone to enjoy. However, we're not going to see it until March 30, 2018, so just be patient. Spielberg will next reunite with Rylance for The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, scheduled to shoot in early 2017. Stay tuned for updates on both of these projcets.