Steven Spielberg is poised to reconnect to Warner Bros. as director of Ready Player One, a movie based on the best-selling virtual reality-based novel by Ernest Cline, as first reported by Deadline. The deal marks Spielberg’s return to the Burbank studio after a 14-year absence.

Spielberg‘s last stint in the director’s chair at Warner Bros. was 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. His history as a director with the studio dates back to the 1980s with The Color Purple (1985) and Empire of the Sun (1987). He has also served as producer on several films at the studio, including Gremlins (1984) and Goonies (1985). 

Ready Player One centers on a video game magnate who offers up his entire empire, named OASIS, to whomever can crack the codes and Easter eggs in his online game. Millions try and fail, but a teen named Wade Watts is determined to succeed.

The brass at Warner Bros. seem happy to welcome Spielberg back into the fold. Greg Silverman, Warner’s President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production said:

We are thrilled to welcome Steven back to Warner Bros.  We had an historic series of collaborations in the 80s and 90s and have wanted to bring him back for years. As for Ready Player One, we have always felt that Steven was the dream director for this project.

It is expected that Spielberg will make Ready Player One his next movie after The BFG, directing from a screenplay by Zak Penn (The Avengers, the upcoming Pacific Rim 2).