The techno punk riff on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory known as Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One is shaping up very nicely with Steven Spielberg at the helm and a cast already consisting of Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Simon Pegg, Ben Mendelsohn, and Mark Rylance. That alone would be enough to make everyone excited, but The Hollywood Reporter has announced another member of the cast, someone with a lot of geek cred. Actor-comedian T.J. Miller will join the cast as an internet troll in the film’s futuristic virtual world.
The story takes place in Oasis, a virtual realm, where the founder (Rylance) dies and offers his gargantuan fortune to the player who wins a massive treasure hunt. Sheridan plays the main character looking for the treasure who has to go up against various foes to get it. Miller will play i-R0k, an annoying online troller in the game who acts a bit like the Greek chorus commenting on the action as it goes on.
Miller has been a very in-demand actor of late, starring in HBO’s hilarious Silicon Valley as a tech magnate, and of course played Weasel in this year’s Deadpool which, in terms of money, made boatloads. Getting Miller and Pegg in the same movie is a really great move for a movie based on a book that’s a must-read for anyone in the nerdosphere.
We’re very much looking forward to the film, which is set for release on March 30, 2018.
Let us know what you think of Miller joining the cast in the comments below!
Relive when we told you why Spielberg is the perfect choice for Ready Player One.
Image: 20th Century Fox
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow him on Twitter!
