Can Steven Spielberg Bring Gene Wilder Out of Retirement?

Now that directorSteven Spielberg’s next project, the adaptationReady Player One, has a 2017 release date intact, many fans of the belovedErnest Clinenovel are wondering who the filmmaker will get to star.Ain’t It Cool Newshas a very interesting rumor that claims the filmmaker is trying to coax the legendaryGene Wilderout of retirement for one of his upcoming projects, which could either beReady Player Oneor his animated adaptationThe BFG. It isn’t known ifGene Wilderhas any interest in whatever roleSteven Spielbergis offering quite yet, but one particular role inReady Player Onecould be right inGene Wilder’s wheelhouse.

Ready Player Onecenters on a teenager named Wade Watts, who escapes his bleak surroundings by logging into Oasis, a globally networked utopia where users lead idyllic lives. The game’s eccentric founder, James Halliday, dies and offers his billion dollar fortune as the grand prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Watts competes against rivalvideo gameplayers and corporate foes who’ll do anything, in the Oasis world and in the real world, to reach the treasure first.Ain’t It Cool Newsspeculates thatGene Wilderis being sought for the James Halliday role, which has many similarities to his iconic Willy Wonka role in the 1971 classicWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Then again,Steven Spielbergcould be eyeingGene Wilderfor some sort of a role inThe BFG, which is based on a book byWilly Wonka and the Chocolate FactoryauthorRoald Dahl.The BFGalready has a number of cast members in place, such asMark Rylanceas the title character, the Big Friendly Giant, along withBill Hader, Ruby Barnhill,Martin FreemanandJemaine Clement. The adaptation hits theaters next July, so if the director is eyeingGene WilderforThe BFG, he may have to do so rather quickly, since therelease dateis rapidly approaching.

Gene Wilderhasn’t acted since a 2003 episode ofWill & Grace. The actor has said in the past that one of the only people who could get him to come out of retirement isMel Brooks, who directed the actor in classics such as The Producers,Blazing SaddlesandYoung Frankenstein, just to name a few. It’s possible thatSteven Spielbergcould be another person who could coax him out of retirement, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Are you excited about the prospect ofGene Wildercoming back to acting after all these years? Would you rather see him inReady Player OneorThe BFG? Or are you just so excited thatGene Wildermay come back that you don’t care which project it is? Let us know what you think below, and stay tuned for more updates.