Warner Brothers recently pushed the release date of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Ready Player One movie adaptation back from December 15th, 2017 to March 30th, 2018. So to offset the soul-crushing disappointment pouring from fans of Ernest Cline’s best-selling novel, pictures and videos from the film set have been pouring out over the internet. In addition to revealing some classic nods to Spielberg’s earlier films via street art, the latest batch of pictures and videos also give us a first look at Olivia Cooke’s Art3mis, the protagonists love interest.

Samantha Evelyn Cook, codename Art3mis, is described in the novel as short, curvy, and pretty, with black hair, hazel eyes, a pointy chin, and rounded cheekbones. Olivia Cooke, by contrast, is a slender ginger (seen on-set rocking strawberry blonde hair). Time will tell how fans react!

The Basic Story of Ready Player One

Art3mis is one of many “gunters,” or egg-hunters, in the film, searching for an Easter Egg left in OASIS by its creator, James Halliday, revealed after his death. OASIS is a virtual reality universe/MMORPG that serves as the primary escape for the population of a world in socioeconomic turmoil. Dedicated gamers from all over the world have begun searching for the egg, and whoever solves the riddles to open the gates surrounding it will be granted control over OASIS. The idea of controlling OASIS (and gaining Halliday’s fortune) proves irresistible to giant tech corporations, and therefore they enter the game in an attempt to sabotage the gunters and take the egg for themselves.

The protagonist, Wade Watts, played by Tye Sheridan of X-Men: Apocalypse fame, is a high school age gamer living in the “stacks,” slums composed of literal stacks of trailers (barely) held together with metal beams. Watts joins OASIS as Parzival (from Percival, an Arthurian knight famous for dedicating his life to finding the Holy Grail) and likewise dedicates his life to the discovery of the Easter Egg, alongside his friend Aech, his cyber-crush Art3mis, countless other gamers, ruthless mercenaries/fortune gamers, and corporations such as Innovative Online Industries, or IOI (“eye-oh-eye”). Watts is the ultimate OASIS gamer, even going as far as shaving off all of his body hair (ALL. OF. IT.) in order to better experience the physical sensations replicated by his haptic suit.

So far, according to the most recent pictures, it looks as though Sheridan is still rocking his full head of hair.

The story takes place in 2044, but Halliday inspired a surge of interest, bordering on desperate obsession, in 1980’s pop culture by stating it would be key to unlocking the gates protecting the egg. The love of 80’s culture bled onto the set in the form of a giant Gizmo graffitied on an alley wall, the Flash, Jaws, and even Snarf.

The Ready Player One Book

I recommend picking up a copy of the Ready Player One novel before experiencing the Ready Player One movie (you can definitely read it in a few days, let alone before March 2018), as Spielberg is a master of novel to film adaptations and most likely won’t leave fans disappointed.

Additional Ready Player One Movie Set Photos

Love the look of this! Fun walking through the Birmingham streets seeing it come to life #readyplayerone #spielberg pic.twitter.com/cnFgYu0QG5 — Christopher Bevan (@ChrisBevan89) September 6, 2016

It’s very exciting walking to work in the midst of a film set. #ReadyPlayerOne #Birmingham pic.twitter.com/2Hh5rux98h — Dave Thompson (@DaveThompsonCC) September 6, 2016

Speilberg rolls in to town. Set of #ReadyPlayerOne in City all ready for action pic @snappersk pic.twitter.com/FqJgZzPLAT — Together Birmingham (@BirminghamWeAre) September 5, 2016

Additional Ready Player One Movie Set Videos