Ready Player One is the critically-acclaimed, 2011 sci-fi book from author, self-described seventies/eighties protonerd and Rush fan Ernest Cline. Ready Player One makes several references to '80s pop culture, with particular attention to cult films, classic arcade video games and music. The book contains several references to Rush including a particularly significant reference to the band's 2112 album. The Hollywood Reporter reported yesterday that Steven Spielberg has been tapped to direct the film, with comic book movie writer Zak Penn working with Cline on the script. It'll be interesting to see how many (if any at all) of the Rush references, along with the many other references to '80s-era films and pop culture will end up making it into the movie. This subject was addressed in an Ars Technica article discussing the Spielberg announcement:

... Adapting the book to the screen is a tall order, not so much for the complexity of the narrative but rather for the sheer number of different things for which rights would have to be negotiated. Without giving away any of the plot, staying true to the book would mean needing to show parts of War Games, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Blade Runner-not to mention assorted songs from dozens of artists (including probably all of Rush's 2112 album, plus the artwork). And that's not even getting into the video game licenses or dozens of obscure Japanese TV shows referenced or shown in the book.

Scriptwriter Zak Penn has his work cut out for him, but Deadline reports that he's working with Cline and that they're focused on making it come out well. "I think what we have to do is drill down to the best version of the movie and then see who wants to be a part of what will surely be a great film," Warner President of Creative Development Greg Silverman told Deadline. The studio is confident that as happened with The Lego Movie, other studios that they approach asking for participation will be amenable to doing so. ...