Steven Spielberg is allegedly trying to pull Gene Wilder out of retirement for one of his upcoming movies: likely either The BFG or Ready Player One.
Ernest Cline’s monster hit novel Ready Player One is being adapted for the big screen, with none other than Steven Spielberg at the helm.
The dystopian pop culture celebration is set for a 2017 release, and Spielberg is already working on putting the cast together.
Related: Ready Player One is a glorification of geek culture’s worst attributes
And if this latest rumor is anything to go by, this movie (and Spielberg’s pedigree) will attract some serious talent:
Ain’t It Cool News reports that Steven Spielberg is hoping to pull iconic actor Gene Wilder (pictured above as Willy Wonka in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) out of retirement for one of his upcoming movie projects.
Some are speculating that Spielberg wants Wilder to voice one of the giants in The BFG, but Ain’t It Cool also notes that the 82-year-old actor would be perfect for the role of James Halliday in Ready Player One.
Related: Disney joins Steven Spielberg’s The BFG, Bill Hader joins cast
Ready Player One takes place in the much-too-near future of 2044, when society has collapsed and most people seek refuge in a virtual reality space called “OASIS.” Designed by Halliday, the OASIS is full of pop culture references from the 1980s.
Main character Wade is one of the competitors in a global easter egg hunt, which requires the player to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of all the things Halliday loved — from Dungeons and Dragons to Atari 2600 games.
James Halliday himself is deceased by the time the story begins, but his avatar within the game pops up on several important occasions.
It would certainly be amazing to see such an iconic Hollywood actor take on this role! But Wilder has been officially retired since 2003 (his last role was on Will & Grace), so we guess we’ll have to wait and see if this pans out…
