Steven Spielberg’s $608M Sci-Fi Fantasy Flick That Still Needs a Sequel Finds a New Streaming Home Next Month

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I’m so excited! Steven Spielberg’s amazing sci-fi adventure is finally coming to a streaming service! It’ll be on HBO Max next month, and I can’t wait to watch it whenever I want.

HBO Max is adding several new titles in June, starting with Ready Player One on June 3rd. Other highlights include Glen Powell’s How to Make a Killing, the third season of My Adventures with Superman, and the highly anticipated third season of House of the Dragon. Ready Player One, originally released in 2018, is based on the popular novel by Ernest Cline.

Spielberg Insists a Ready Player One Sequel is Still in the Works

The movie Ready Player One features Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts, a young man living in 2045. With much of the world escaping into a virtual reality called the OASIS, Wade joins a quest to find a hidden Easter egg promised by the OASIS’s creator, who will award their entire fortune to the winner. However, Wade must compete against a powerful and ruthless corporation determined to take control of the OASIS for their own malicious purposes.

Besides Sheridan, Ready Player One features Olivia Cooke as Samantha Cook, a skilled player determined to protect the OASIS from falling into the wrong hands. Ben Mendelsohn plays Nolan Sorrento, the CEO of Innovative Online Industries, a company aiming to completely control this virtual world. The film also stars T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance.

When Ready Player One came out in 2018, it was praised for being both fresh and nostalgic, showcasing Spielberg’s talent for storytelling and featuring many beloved pop culture references. Critics generally liked the film, giving it a 71% rating based on over 440 reviews. Audiences enjoyed it even more, with a 77% approval rating from more than 25,000 viewers.

The film did very well in theaters, earning over $607 million worldwide despite costing between $155 and $175 million to make. Because it was so profitable, discussions about a sequel have been ongoing for several years, and director Steven Spielberg recently indicated he’s open to the idea.

Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One Sequel is Ready for a Film Debut

Following the popularity of Ready Player One, Ernest Cline wrote a follow-up novel, Ready Player Two, which came out in 2020. He shared in the book’s acknowledgments that he got feedback from Steven Spielberg on the final version, even talking with him about certain details. Soon after the book was published, Cline mentioned he was starting to develop another sequel.

Honestly, after a long silence, it was great to hear from Spielberg in March 2024 that the sequel is still happening. Though he won’t be in the director’s chair this time – he’s producing only – we’re still holding our breath for any news on when we might actually see it. As for a concrete timeline or release date? Still nothing official. However, we are getting a new something this October, though details are scarce.

Ready Player One heads to HBO Max on June 3.

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2026-05-24 16:06