Steven Spielberg has warned that a future ruled by virtual reality is approaching “whether we like it or not.” The acclaimed filmmaker presented his upcoming sci-fi film, Ready Player One at Comic-Con San Diego this year, where he addressed the idea of virtual reality which has recently been a recurring topic for him.
At the event, Spielberg spoke about the challenges of adapting Ernest Cline’s book about a dystopian future where humans take refuge in VR after the world is destroyed by global warming.
In Ready Player One, the hero lives in 2044, but spends his time immersed in 1980s pop culture through virtual reality.
Spielberg said, “It’s the most amazing flash forward and flashback at the same time – to a decade I was very much involved in as well as a future that I think is out there awaiting all of us whether we like it or not.”
Now, the 70-year-old director sees VR as the opening of new possibilities, where humans are able to do “anything you can possibly imagine.”
Over the last year, virtual reality (VR) began its expansion in the film industry with the Cannes Film Festival presenting its first VR entry this year. Earlier at Cannes, Spielberg said, “I think we’re moving into a dangerous medium with virtual reality.”
“The only reason I say it is dangerous is because it gives the viewer a lot of latitude not to take direction from the storytellers but make their own choices of where to look. I just hope it doesn’t forget the story when it starts enveloping us in a world that we can see all around us and make our own choices to look at,” he added.
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