Ender's Game film is back in development with Wolverine director. linky
quote: More than a year after being declared dead by no less an authority than Orson Scott Card himself, the Ender's Game movie is unexpectedly back in development. The LA Times is reporting that X-men Origins: Wolverine director Gavin Hood is now working on the project and just did a rewrite of Card's last screenplay.
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
Oh Jesus no.
Posted by Sa'eed (Member # 12368) on :
quote:Originally posted by jebus202: Oh Jebus no.
Agreed!
Posted by Philosofickle (Member # 10993) on :
Yay! They're making the movie again.
quote:X-Men: Origins Wolverine director... just did a rewrite on Card's latest screenplay.
Damn
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Why do they constantly threaten to tarnish the last bit of scifi purity I have left? were the comics not bad enough...
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
This bodes well to me. This doesn't mean Hood is attached to direct, just that people are actually working on it now. Odd Lot Entertainment has a good deal of resources for making a movie such as this. Lets hope the rewrite is a good one, talented producers can be procured, and a fantastic director can get roped in.
edit: I wonder what the effect of the movie being made will have on the sorts of people who come to these forums.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
So Ender's going to be a 25 year old hoodlum with sideburns that reach all the way to his neck.
And the battle room will involve sharp objects and death.
Awesome!
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
I'd like Chris Nolan. That will probably never happen, but a guy can dream right?
And just remember, it could be worse. M. Night Shamalan could have been attached to it.
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
It should be noted the he did not write the script for Wolvernine.
He did, however, write the script for and direct Tsotsi, which won an Oscar - and happens to center around a teenage protagonist.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
How about Richard Kelly to direct? Donnie Darko was certainly a cerebral movie and one should have a firm grasp on abstract scientific thought to shoot the battles.
quote: And just remember, it could be worse. M. Night Shamalan could have been attached to it.
Now Im curious as to how he would screw the names.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
After the Hitchhiker movie, I came to the conclusion that there's sometimes a good reason why some books take a long time to become movies. It's because they probably shouldn't every be movies. And because they've taken so long, all the fans have imagined the movie so many times that it's usually going to be a disappointment.
Having said that, it only took 50 years for LOTR to appear, and that was wonderful. So I still hold out a little hope for Ender. It's such a cinematic story. With the right kids, it could be amazing.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel: Now Im curious as to how he would screw the names.
ein-dar. bayn. pa-tra. mazzer.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Having said that, it only took 50 years for LOTR to appear
In my world, they still haven't made 'Dune'.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: Having said that, it only took 50 years for LOTR to appear, and that was wonderful.
Two words. Tom Bombadil.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
quote:Originally posted by Geraine:
quote:Originally posted by Samprimary:
quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel: Now Im curious as to how he would screw the names.
ein-dar. bayn. pa-tra. mazzer.
Don't forget Ban-zo, Gree-f, An-dershawn or Pe-tar
CreeAzy Toom would only reinforce the suggestion of the name.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel:
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: Having said that, it only took 50 years for LOTR to appear, and that was wonderful.
Two words. Tom Bombadil.
Who cares about Tom?!?! Two Towers the movie was far easier to take than Two Towers the book. Can you imagine if it was MORE faithful?
Aragorn: Can we attack? Can we defend? Can we have some witty dialogue? Pippin: No. We just have to wait around and be boring for another hour, while the camera pans and zooms around the landscape in an attempt to show how dire our predicament really is. Aragorn: <Slumps>
Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee:
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head:
quote:Having said that, it only took 50 years for LOTR to appear
I didn't particularly care for the Bakshi version, but I maintain that the Rankin Bass version of Return of the King had several parts that were better than what Peter Jackson did, from a storytelling point of view. And I don't just mean that because John Huston narrating gives me goosebumps. I thought Jackson's first two films were pretty flawless. I thought Return of the King was excellent, but nowhere near the best it could have been because of too many holes, some of which were actually made worse by the extended edition. The third book had some of the most iconic moments in the series for me, and some of the biggest payoffs as well. What he did so right with say, the Balrog scenes, he did all wrong with the Witch King scenes and the Army of the Dead. The cartoon nailed those scenes by ripping them right from the book, as these were the few scenes that actually could be ripped right from the book without heavy editing to make them film-worthy.
Also, I liked the Dune miniseries, and much of Children of Dune, though I admit I saw them before I read the books, so I was a little puzzled when I read them and saw the vast differences.
Posted by naledge (Member # 392) on :
I still wish Steve Zaillian could direct, write, or both. While he hasn't done sci-fi, he has made movies that balance action with dialogue very well. Not to mention working with kids in Searching for Bobby Fischer
-nal
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
quote:Also, I liked the Dune miniseries, and much of Children of Dune
Me too. I have them on DVD. But I meant a full, cinematic, big budget movie version, such as we might be getting with Ender's Game. Not TV. Not that there's anything wrong with TV - with the extra time allowed, sometimes it's better - but different. I guess I should have been more specific.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I guess it may come down to the degree to which the creative people stay at the reins and the money/marketing/studio people stay out of the equation. Wolverine was a bad, bad movie. I like Hugh Jackson's Wolverine, but that movie was a mess: misguided attempts at fan service, a trite and predictable plot, fight scenes that served absolutely- I mean absolutely- no purpose other than that the anticipated audience was expected to fall asleep if ten minutes went by without something going "boom".
These things may be the result of the screenplay, or the director, or someone in a suit stepping in and telling the creative people to "punch it up" if they want the brass to sign off on things. Or it could be some combination of the above. I'm reasonably confident that if Card has waited this long, he'll keep enough control and wait longer if necessary to get an end result that resembles the book. Time will tell.
Posted by T:man (Member # 11614) on :
Wow, I didn't know there were other Gavin's on the planet O/o
Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
quote:Originally posted by naledge: I still wish Steve Zaillian could direct, write, or both. While he hasn't done sci-fi, he has made movies that balance action with dialogue very well. Not to mention working with kids in Searching for Bobby Fischer
-nal
That really would be a great movie to review for how Ender's Game should be.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
quote:Originally posted by Herblay:
quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel:
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: Having said that, it only took 50 years for LOTR to appear, and that was wonderful.
Two words. Tom Bombadil.
Who cares about Tom?!?! Two Towers the movie was far easier to take than Two Towers the book. Can you imagine if it was MORE faithful?
Aragorn: Can we attack? Can we defend? Can we have some witty dialogue? Pippin: No. We just have to wait around and be boring for another hour, while the camera pans and zooms around the landscape in an attempt to show how dire our predicament really is. Aragorn: <Slumps>
Well maybe if it were more boring less people would have seen it, and there wouldnt be gay-porn sites about Frodo and Sam.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Searching for Bobby Fischer is a wonderful movie.
Posted by JanitorBlade (Member # 12343) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Searching for Bobby Fischer is a wonderful movie.
It is, but it's painful to watch.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
I hope the Ender's Game movie will be as equally wonderful and painful. All of my favorite movies are like this.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
I wish it would be animated.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Instead, it's going to be still pictures.
Posted by Hedwig (Member # 2315) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Searching for Bobby Fischer is a wonderful movie.
It is, but it's painful to watch.
If I may ask... Why?
It's been a while since I see it, so I don't remember any pain. Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
I hope aronofsky picks this up.
Nolan would be good too, but I'd go for Aron on this one.
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
There's no way it'll be Aronofsky. It'll probably be Uwe Boll.
These things never get good treatment. . . .
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nighthawk:
quote:Originally posted by JanitorBlade:
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Searching for Bobby Fischer is a wonderful movie.
It is, but it's painful to watch.
If I may ask... Why?
It's been a while since I see it, so I don't remember any pain.
I think we are beyond 10 years, but in anycase *spoilers
The most difficult scene for me is when he gets in an argument with his chess teacher about strategy which turns into a bitter spat about why he hasn't been given the rank of Grand Master and his teacher very nastily reveals that the previous certificates of rank that he has received were just photocopied pieces of paper.
Also, while it's stereotypical, it still gets me, the humiliated look on the face of the antagonist when he is beaten in the final match and faces nothing but contempt from his father.
/spoilers
Posted by Marek (Member # 5404) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Instead, it's going to be still pictures.
of the book's pages? now that would be a great movie.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
quote:Originally posted by Herblay: It'll probably be Uwe Boll.
Oh, you did NOT just go there!
Posted by AMCSteel (Member # 6321) on :
quote:Originally posted by neo-dragon:
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee:
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head:
quote:Having said that, it only took 50 years for LOTR to appear
Come on! I'm tired of people ragging on the 2000 miniseries.
Sorry man it sucked. I prefer Lynch's movie (minus the ending) to Sci-Fi's dudgery of a minisereis. Water Disipline was thrown out the window in that dump.
Posted by naledge (Member # 392) on :
Jim-Me: I'm glad you approve!
For others who haven't seen the movie, do rent it or Netflix-it, and you will understand why I think the tone, themes, the action, and character relationships mimic what's going on in Ender's Game.
SPOILERS (maybe) . . . . . . . . . . . In Searching for Bobby Fischeryou have kid geniuses playing a strategy game,in this case, chess, competing against one another for total victory. These kids are usually coached and trained by adults who can employ, in my opinion, brutal psychological tactics (See Black Blades example above) to make them want to totally annihilate their competition!
The adults who train these kids, do so in the attempts of trying to find the next world chess star, like Bobby Fischer. Bobby was a revered, controversial, but feared chess master who was known for his dominant play and his winning of the World Chess Championship in 1972. The championship with its Cold War overtones was "Match of the Century" pitting Bobby, vs the then World Champion and USSR citizen Boris Spassky.
So relating this to Ender's Game....
Boris Spasky/USSR = Hive Queen 2nd Invasion/Alien Fleet Bobby Fischer/USA = Mazer Rackham/ Human Fleet
I hope my analogy makes sense, and gives a little context to how these adult chess instructors in the movie push these little kids in training to have "killer instincts" when it comes to play. That training manages to make kids act more like unfeeling adults and lose their innocence and compassion for those that they play against.
I also liked this movie and Zaillian because he manages to show in an interesting way the internal struggle of the protagonist, Josh, in various scenes through a smart sequence of visuals and voice overs. One scene in particular he plays a full game of chess against himself with no pieces on a board.
The eye for storytelling cinematography and pacing Zaillian displays in this film, makes me think he could tackle Ender's internal struggles and communicate them convincingly.
-nal
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by AMCSteel: Sorry man it sucked. I prefer Lynch's movie (minus the ending) to Sci-Fi's dudgery of a minisereis. Water Disipline was thrown out the window in that dump.
I tried but couldn't even make it very far into that miniseries.
Posted by Magson (Member # 2300) on :
I'm in agreement. I thought the miniseries did some thing "ok-ish" but overall I vastly preferred the movie to the series, and didn't think either of them were very good.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Yep. The Dune miniseries lost me with the teen Paul who looked 35, and the comatose Leto. We watched it, but were totally MST3K-ing it by the end.
Re: Tom Bombadil... They were right to lose him in the movie. However, I just finished reading his section of FotR aloud to my kids, and for the first time ever did not want to slap him with a fish.
So my tastes must be changing with age.
As to the original topic, I will believe it when my butt is in the theater seat, and will pass judgment afterward.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Olivet: As to the original topic, I will believe it when my butt is in the theater seat, and will pass judgment afterward.
A-freakin-men!
Posted by Danlo the Wild (Member # 5378) on :
So the guy who took Wolverine and made a Gay Wolverine movie is going to make a movie about a big battleship full of boys?
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