Ender's Game Information

Ender's Game is an upcoming American science fiction film based on the novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card. Directed and written by Gavin Hood, the film will star Asa Butterfield as Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, an unusually gifted child who is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future alien invasion, leading an ensemble cast that includes Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Aramis Knight, Hailee Steinfeld, Jimmy Pinchak, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin. In November 2010, Card stated that the film's storyline would be a fusion of Ender's Game and its parallel novel, Ender's Shadow, focusing on the important elements of both.

The film will be released on November 1, 2013, by Summit Entertainment through Lionsgate.

Synopsis

In November 2012, Summit Entertainment released a full synopsis of the movie:

In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy but strategically brilliant boy, is pulled out of his school to join the elite.

Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military's next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he's trained by Mazer Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

Cast

• Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin. In a 1999 interview, Orson Scott Card confirmed that Jake Lloyd was under consideration for the role. Card asked fans not to judge Lloyd based on his performance in The Phantom Menace, saying that a better script and direction would result in a better performance. In July 2008, Card stated that he would like to see Nathan Gamble play Ender, and expressed regret that he was "probably too old" for the part.
• Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff. Early in the film's development, Card considered changing Graff to a female, and recommended a "dry comic" such as Janeane Garofalo or Rosie O'Donnell for the role.
• Abigail Breslin as Valentine Wiggin
• Hailee Steinfeld as Petra Arkanian
• Aramis Knight as Bean
• Moises Arias as Bonzo
• Jimmy Pinchak as Peter Wiggin
• Suraj Parthasarathy as Alai
• Conor Carroll as Bernard
• Khylin Rhambo as Dink
• Brandon Soo Hoo as Fly Molo
• Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham. In a 1998 interview, Card suggested Andre Braugher or Will Smith for the role.
• Viola Davis as Major Anderson
• Caleb J. Thaggard as Stilson. Brendan Meyer was originally cast in the role, but had to leave the production due to a scheduling conflict.
• Stevie Ray Dallimore as John Paul Wiggin
• Andrea Powell as Theresa Wiggin
• Nonso Anozie as Sergeant Dap
• Cameron Gaskins as Pol Slattery
• Tony Mirrcandani as Admiral Chamrajnagar
• Orson Scott Card as Pilot (voice cameo)

Production

Development

Since Ender's Game's publication in 1985, author Orson Scott Card had always been protective of the film rights and artistic control. Card explained that he had many opportunities through the 1980s and 1990s to sell the rights of Ender's Game to Hollywood studios, but refused when creative differences became an issue. With the formation of Fresco Pictures in 1996 (which Card co-founded), the author decided to write the screenplay himself.

In a 1998 interview, Orson Scott Card discussed the process of adapting the novel into a screenplay. "The first decision I made was not to pursue the Peter/Valentine subplot with the Internet, because that's just watching people type things into the computer. The second decision I made was to give that information about the surprise at the end from the start. In my script we know who Mazer Rackham really is and we know what is at stake as Ender plays his games. But Ender doesn't know, so I think the suspense is actually increased because the audience knows we're about the business of saving the world and that everything depends on this child not understanding that. We care all the more about whether he wins " and we worry that he might not want to. As we watch the adults struggle to get control of Ender, we pity him because of what's happening to him, but we want the adults to succeed. I think it makes for a much more complex and fascinating film than it would have been if I had tried to keep secrets."

Card submitted a screenplay to Warner Bros. in 2003, at which time David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were hired to collaborate a new script in consulation with the then-designated director Wolfgang Petersen. Four years later, Card wrote a new script not based on any previous ones, including his own.

Card announced in February 2009 that he had completed a script for Odd Lot Entertainment, and that they had begun assembling a production team. In September 2010 it was announced that Gavin Hood was attached to the project, serving as both screenwriter and director. On January 28, 2011, it was reported that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman would be producing the work and would begin presenting the script to prospective investors.

On April 28, 2011, Summit Entertainment picked up the film's distribution along with Digital Domain. Gavin Hood joined as director, using Hood's script adaptation, and Donald McAlpine joined as cinematographer. Creative producers are Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman of K/O Paper Products, with financial producers Gigi Pritzker and Linda McDonough of Odd Lot Entertainment. The film is also being produced by Lynn Hendee and Robert Chartoff (Chartoff Productions) and Card.

Filming

Production began in New Orleans on February 27, 2012. The film is slated for a November 1, 2013 release date.

Post-production

During post-production, the special effects company working on the film, Digital Domain, filed for bankruptcy; it is uncertain whether this will cause a change in the release date.

Controversy

In March, 2013, some LGBT and pro-gay marriage groups began to criticize the film, which features a co-producer's credit to Orson Scott Card. Public relations exec Mark Umbach commented, "there is a huge LGBT audience for science fiction, and it's going to be hard for those fans to separate Card's comments from his work." The industry trade paper The Hollywood Reporter commented: "The new scrutiny of Card's views could be a problem for the $110 million 'Ender's Game' movie, which stars Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Viola Davis and Ben Kingsley and is directed by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Summit, whose parent Lionsgate made The Hunger Games, sees the film as the next big YA sci-fi franchise."