Johnny Memetic.
a planned sequel that, while full of pop culture references and in-jokes, lacked any sort of substance or message or plot.
The project was cancelled and the script was thought lost
until some time later someone discovered it, filed off the serial numbers, and turned it into Ready Player One.
@Nine I'm guessing this is a joke but I don't get it
@Felthry
This is fair. (Though I think either I would have made the joke better or not made it at all if I had any more concrete knowledge of either source material as well.)