Yahoo News Ready Player One writer didn't spot his own Easter egg
We wouldn't even attempt to list every Easter egg, cheeky reference, name-check or subtle nod to pop culture in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, and we shouldn't expect its crew to either.
Because, as it turns out, Ready Player One is so saturated with clever winks to other films and franchises that one of its writers didn't spot a reference to his own movie.
Co-writer Zak Penn, who adapated the Ready Player One novel along with its author Ernest Cline, told io9 that he originally didn't want any references to his previous projects in the final cut.
Related: Here's why there are no Star Wars references in Ready Player One
His co-workers, though, had other ideas, and a nod to his Arnold Schwarzenegger-led film Last Action Hero was sneaked in with impressive subtlety.
For fans who want to try to nail down every little meta-detail, you'll be able to spot the Last Action Hero nod in the opening sequence, where Arnie's character Jack Slater is name-checked.
(Clue: Look out for the cinema.)
Related: Steven Spielberg references had to be snuck into Ready Player One by the crew
"I never saw it until the first screening," Zak admitted. "That's completely Ernie [Cline]. He slipped it in there without asking me...
"I never noticed it, Steven didn't notice it, I had told him not to but when I saw it, I was like, 'Man, that's sweet'. But I was shocked when I saw the screen."
The infinitely clever (and good) Ready Player One opens in the UK and the US on March 29.
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