Tye Sheridan has been cast as the lead for Ready Player One, Spielberg’s adaptation of the Ernie Cline novel for Warner and Village Roadshow.
Sheridan joins Olivia Cooke and Ben Mendelsohn in the story set in a virtual world, the Oasis, in which a teenager finds himself competing in a treasure hunt against ruthless foes after the game’s founder dies and offers his fortune as the grand prize.
Sheridan’s casting comes after lengthy searches dating back to fall 2015. In an unusual situation, the romantic interest and the villain were cast before the the lead role.
In a last-ditch effort, the studio and the casting directors established an open call, setting up the website ReadyPlayerOne.com, letting everyone submit for the part of Wade Watts.
Meanwhile, Sheridan signed a holding deal for the part early this month while Spielberg and the casting directors looked at the submissions. In the end, Sheridan still remained the choice, beating out thousands.
The actor first gained attention in Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life and Jeff Nichols’ Mud opposite Matthew McConaughey. His recent credits include The Stanford Prison Experiment and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.
Sheridan next will be seen in X-Men: Apocalypse playing Scott Summers/Cyclops and indies Detour, opposite Bel Powley, and Grass Stains.
