The 2011 science fiction novel Ready Player One was not an across-the-board hit with critics, but it has been translated into 37 languages and was the basis for a 2018 film directed by Steven Spielberg, a bestseller that grossed over $500 million at the box office The film was a bestseller, earning more than $500 million at the box office. Clearly, nerd nostalgia has consequences.

No sequel yet, but it will be soon: The Hollywood Reporter reported today that Klein's sequel, "Ready Player 2," will be released in North America on November 24.

The title tells the story of a teenager named Wade Watts who lives in a slum in the very unpleasant year of 2045. Watts embarks on an adventure to discover the key to great wealth in the digital world known as the Oasis, which he will gain (along with full rights to the Oasis and a girl) by proving he is the best in the world at 1980s trivia and video games.

The film broadens its pastiche by incorporating more recent references, as you can see in the trailer above. For example, Tracer from "Overwatch" appears next to Chun Li from "Street Fighter," but still clearly targets a very specific nostalgia for the heroic days of his youth.

Klein actually announced in 2017 at a "trailer launch event" for the film Ready Player One that a sequel was in the works, but gave no details." He said at the time (via ComingSoon.net), "I can't say too much, but when you see Steven Spielberg bringing that world to life, there is no greater inspiration for a writer to return to a world he has already worked on. [It's] a pleasure to talk to one of the greatest storytellers of all time, a storyteller who had a direct influence on my first film, Ready Player One, and to hear his take on it." Wade carries around a Holy Grail diary throughout the story to gather clues in his search for Easter eggs, thanks to "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. If I hadn't grown up watching Stephen's movie, it would have been a different story. So to not only be able to work with him to bring the first story to life, but to be able to bounce ideas off of him for the sequel is the greatest joy of my life."

"Ready Player 2" is available for pre-order now.