Ben Mendelsohn is quickly becoming one of the most in demand actors in Hollywood, and while you might think he should be worried about being typecast in villainous roles, it looks like he’s now lining up gig with Steve Spielberg! The director wants the actor to take on the role of the lead bad guy in Ready Player One, his planned adaptation of Ernie Cline’s novel.
Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) has already been cast as the female lead, while the director continues to search for the movie’s young protagonist. Ready Player One is currently set to be released on December 17th, 2017, exactly a year after Mendelsohn will play the big bad in Gareth Edwards’ highly anticipated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Curious about what to expect from Ready Player One? Here’s the synopsis for the book:
Set 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.
While the character the actor is playing in Ready Player One isn’t name specifically, he’s described as “an executive for an Internet corporation that has designs on Oasis.” Readers of the book should be able to figure that out then, but regardless of who Mendelsohn is playing, you have to believe that he’s going to make one hell of an impact in this adaptation.
