'Ready Player One' Movie Cast, News & Release Date: Film Steeped in Pop Culture References, Including Steven Spielberg's Work

Steven Spielberg says "Ready Player One" would be adapted into film with the entire "pop culture thing" which means it would not include references to any of his films.

While the film is currently still in its early pre-production stages, the award-winning filmmaker already has an idea on how he wants it to proceed.

"The movie won't have any of my films in it. I'm not putting myself in this movie...They reference so many '80s movies. I'm doing the whole pop culture thing," Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly during a wild-ranging interview on his current and upcoming projects.

According to the 68-year-old film mogul, he would helm the film in a way that is not "too self-referential," adding that he intends to "leave myself out of it."

However, Cinema Blend believes that this idea can be a bit tricky considering how Spielberg himself had been a huge part of the decade.

"Ready Player One is steeped in pop culture, especially that of the 1980s and as Steven Spielberg was such a huge part of that decade, delivering a string of landmark movies that remain influential to this day, you might think it will be a bit tricky to cut him out," the report read.

According to Cinema Blend, a film adaptation for "Ready Player One" had been in the works even before it was published in 2011 but the avalanche of pop culture references stalled its production due to the number of copyrights that needs clearing or working around.

Despite this, Spielberg went on with the project.

During the interview with ET, he revealed the reason why he decided to take it on in the first place.

"I think it's the future," he says about the dystopian novel by Ernest Cline, "I'm telling this story because I really feel what's in 'Ready Player One' is going to be in our lives before we know it."

The director revealed that they would begin filming in 2016 though at the moment, only one key role has been cast: Olivia Cooke as Wade Watts' friend, collaborator and love interest Art3mis.

"I'm trying to get the whole thing cast by the first of the year and start shooting in July," he said.

The film adaptation of "Ready Player One" is expected to hit theaters on December 15, 2017 and would run on the presence of a virtual reality world called "OASIS."

Much like Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" trilogy, "Ready Player One" proceeds with a game-a scavenger hunt if you will-that would determine who would own the program and thereby become the richest and most powerful person on Earth.