Back in March Steven Spielberg was named the director of Ready Player One. The film is an adaptation of the Ernest Kline novel of the same name. But because Spielberg has been quite busy working on Bridge of Spies and The BFG, casting director Ellen Lewis has been responsible with overseeing the auditioning process.

So far Gene Wilder is the only actor rumored for a role. Previous reports have attached him to play James Donovan Halliday – creator of OASIS, the fictional gaming world that serves as the setting for the novel. It may be a while before we get a confirmation on that, but there is a new shortlist of actresses who are vying for the female lead. Elle Fanning (Maleficent, Super 8), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel, The Signal), and Lola Kirke (Mistress America) are three of the top contenders the role of Art3mis. More on this and who is up for the role of the male lead below.

The Wrap says that it is still very early in the auditioning process, so this may not be the definitive list. The report adds that there are also two other actresses who are in consideration for the role, but their identities are being kept a secret.

Elle Fanning is probably best known for roles in Disney’s reimagining of Maleficent and J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi throwback Super 8. She is set to star in Ben Affleck’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s Live By Night. She recently wrapped Nicolas Winding Refn”˜s Neon Demon.

Olivia Cooke stars in A&E’s Bates’ Motel, and was most recently seen in the Sundance darling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Her other roles include The Signal, Ouija, and Katie Says Goodbye. She has appeared alongside Tatiana Maslany and Gina Rodriguez on the female lead shortlist for Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Lola Kirke has starred in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, and has been highly praised for her performance in Noah Baumbach”˜s summer sleeper Mistress America. She stars alongside Jeremy Irvine in the Fallen, but her biggest film role will be Mena, a crime thriller starring Tom Cruise, Domnhall Gleeson, and Jesse Plemons.

While the report was unable to mention who was up for the male lead, Justin Kroll of Variety posted a Tweet saying Jurassic World star Nick Robinson is up for the role of Wade.

Warner Bros. has set Ready Player One set for a December 15, 2017 release.

[Source: The Wrap | Justin Kroll]