Now the Austin-based author and self-proclaimed video game nerd is back with the sequel to his 2011 debut novel with Ready Player Two. “Criticism, and really vitriolic criticism, is a side effect of massive success that I never imagined I would ever have,” says Cline. 29, 2018, Ready Player One cashed in on the book’s insane popularity by collecting $582 million worldwide and transporting audiences into the mind-warping domain of the Metaverse - even if the reviews were… mixed. that are Steven Spielberg taking a cellphone photo of a paragraph from my book and then it would end up transposed directly into the script,” Cline tells Inverse. “I’ve seen these notes documents at Warner Bros. Cline even worked with Spielberg on the screenplay through several drafts before Zak Penn ( X2, Elektra) was recruited for rewrites, and he still looks back at those days as an incredible experience. With its virtual world treasure hunt pitting Gunters against Sixers to lay claim to eccentric genius James Halliday’s Gregarious Simulation Systems and its gazillion-dollar fortune, the geeky sci-fi novel became a global sensation, spending 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.Īs expected, Cline’s hit novel attracted Hollywood’s attention, and Steven Spielberg signed on to direct the film project for Warner Bros.

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 10 years since Ernest Cline’s visionary pop culture confection, Ready Player One, introduced us to the immersive digital realm of The Oasis.

Video games are the only thing that make life bearable.” - Anorak’s Almanac, Ready Player One “Being human totally sucks most of the time.

Ernest cline