Movies

'Ready Player One' Gets The Drew Struzan-Inspired Poster It Needs

By Hoai-Tran Bui

Every new piece of marketing from Ready Player One has felt like a game of "spot the Easter egg." The newest poster for Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Ernest Cline's sci-fi book is an Easter egg unto itself.

The latest Ready Player One one-sheet pays perfect homage to some of the most iconic 1980s movie posters from the legendary illustrator Drew Struzan. But if you were looking forward to another Easter egg hunt, don't worry. This Ready Player One poster is chock full of them.

The latest poster for Ready Player One is illustrated by Paul Shipper, who designed the vintage-style theatrical poster for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

"So proud to now be able to share this with you all! The official illustrated one sheet for Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Ernest Cline's holy grail of pop culture Ready Player One," Shipper tweeted after the poster was released.

ready player one poster

Shipper has a knack for creating that throwback aesthetic and the poster for Ready Player One is a clear homage to Drew Struzan, the artist behind iconic posters for the Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Star Wars film series. The larger, noble-looking characters in the middle, the bright halo effect, and the smaller characters populating the side and bottom of the poster are all reflective of Struzan's artistic flairs.

It would have been amazing if they got the man himself, but Shipper did an incredible job capturing Struzan's distinctive style. And he did it while squeezing in a fair few Easter eggs of his own.

Counting the Easter Eggs in the Poster

The entire poster itself is an Easter egg, but what about all the details that are hidden throughout the poster? Here are some of the pop culture Easter eggs we spotted:

  • The DeLorean from Back to the Future, complete with Wade Watts' adopting that familiar Marty McFly pose
  • The Iron Giant from Brad Bird's beloved animated film (he has also featured prominently in the trailers).
  • The Bigfoot Monster Truck, a reference that may be lost on younger folks who had no idea how huge this thing was in the '80s.
  • A Gundam, one of several references that imply the easter eggs will go beyond western popular culture.
  • Yep, that's a Space Invaders t-shirt.
  • If you look to the upper right, you'll see a pizza delivery drone!
  • And one more:

    • Are there any Easter eggs that you spotted?

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