Tye Sheridan lands lead role in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One

While we eagerly await the release of Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The BFG", the prolific director is assembling the cast for his next film, an adaptation of Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One". Spielberg has already secured the services of Olivia Cooke (ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL) and Ben Mendelsohn (ROGUE ONE) and now Deadline reports that Steven Spielberg has finally found his leading man.

The outlet has reported that Steven Spielberg has chosen Tye Sheridan (X-MEN: APOCALYPSE) to play Wade Watts, a poor orphan from the "stacks" surrounding metropolitan Oklahoma City who joins the virtual universe known as the OASIS. Tye Sheridan has appeared in some notable films in his short career which is likely to blow up even further once X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, in which he plays Scott Summers/Cyclops, is released. Olivia Cooke will be playing Samantha Cook, a fellow member of the OASIS as well a competitor and love interest for Tye Sheridan's Wade. Ben Mendelsohn will play Nolan Sorrento, an executive who hopes to take over and monetize the OASIS.

A synopsis for READY PLAYER ONE:

The story of a virtual-reality game creator who offers up his entire company to the best player who can find an Easter egg in one of his many virtual worlds via a game called OASIS. A teenager named Wade Watts decides to take it on after millions have failed over many years. The key to winning the game is a plethora of pop culture clues from the 1980s. Whomever figures it out and wins the game — without having their avatars killed in the process — takes over the entire OASIS empire.

READY PLAYER ONE is set for a March 30, 2018 release, but our next dose of Spielberg, THE BFG, hits theaters on July 1, 2016.