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Haley Joel Osment is far too old. Any actor probably over the age of 9 currently is probably too old since it's realistically going to be 2 years before Ender's Game starts filming.
I think a lot of parents are going to have problems with a 6 year old killing another child. Even a 10 year old.
The other problem is that most teenagers who would be the target audience wouldn't want to see a movie about a six year old. Movies starring 6 year olds are targeted to the preschool crowd, which is certainly not the right audience.
I hope that Ender's experience in Battle School isn't rushed. It can't be made out that he just gets there and immediately he's fighting the Buggers. He didn't show up at Battle School with the knowledge to be a great military leader. He learned it over years. So the idea that they could show all of that in a 120 minutes (or 90, if it's a kids movie) is unlikely.
The passage of time could be better shown if they had multiple actors. A six year old in the beginning as an introduction for the first act, then a slightly older actor (maybe 9 or 10) for the rest of the film.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Mar 2005
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My deepest concern is that this movie will, quite frankly, never get made. Perfect casting, a spot on screenplay, the "correct" director, yadda yadda... appear to pale in comparison to OSC's securing the necessary resources to make the damn thing the way he envisions it. I imagine he does have the resources (not to mention the talent, if he were at the helm) to deliver a breathtakingly good adaptation of his own story for the bigscreen.
The fact that he hasn't chosen to do so, well... I find it chilling.
OK, maybe not chilling, but certainly a little alarming.
Posts: 551 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I tell ya... they're just waiting long enough so that my son can play one of the characters, that's all! Posts: 772 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Even though by far and away, Enders game is my favorite novel, it just doesn't seem to be the right kind of movie material since there are so many subtle concepts. And like others have been saying, most of the book is told through his thoughts, and movies like that are hard to make. I'm interested to see how similar it could be to the books and how they pull it off from a marketing standpoint.
Posts: 879 | Registered: Apr 2005
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As for his thoughts, much of that could be covered by using an unseen narrator making comments - done in other movies well.
Posts: 17 | Registered: Jun 2004
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... I hate to be a downer here, but - how are these 6-12 year old kids going to get into the casting rooms anyway?
Can any of you think of parents who would let their child play Bonzo Madrid, or Ender the Xenocide? I tell you this, I've never met any parents I believe would have let me play roles in such a story. The best we could hope for are adults who are already familiar with the story and have already raised children and are fully confident this won't completely screw up the kids life. Not that I think these roles would drastically screw up a child's psyche, I first read Ender's Game in 3rd grade. But I just figure - we gotta consider it's going to be the hardest sell for the parents of these minors, nevermind the audience - thinking these kids will play, essentially, murderers in training, and in Ender's case - killers. the movie is going to scare people who scare easily, like the people the news aims for when it 'sells' bad news.
people are gonna freak out.
on a lighter note, this would definitely work well as an anime. Wonder why Card hasn't posted on this thread yet, and why - well, as far as we know, he didn't consider the animation perspective either.
Posts: 58 | Registered: Apr 2005
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although - if Ender's Game were to be animated - there's so many opportunities there. it could, really, be a series. or a miniseries. like I posted somewhere else, it opens up a whole universe of Card's work. It would give Ender's Game a future that lasts beyond any of us just as the original Star Wars has lasted into comics, novels, and many further movies. oh. and TV. but Ewoks sucked. or so I'm told, I haven't the courage to watch it.
Posts: 58 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Um, my parents would have loved for me to play any of those parts, because... well I love the book and they'd want me to have fun with it.
Posts: 1831 | Registered: Jan 2003
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My 5 yr old son WANTS to be in this movie! Fine with me, as long as he eats his broccolli, does his school work, and continues to be sweet and considerate in REAL life.
As son as I told some friends that they were making this into a movie, they said "You HAVE to get to the casting calls, Sequoyah would be great in this movie!" He's wanted to be a movie star since he was two.
I know at least a few more around here who would take their little guys to a casting call.
Also I think many parents won't be that squeamish. I mean the number of kids trying out for Annikan Skywalker was HUGE and that little guy grows up to be Darth Vader.
Posts: 772 | Registered: Feb 2005
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= thinking these kids will play, essentially, murderers in training, and in Ender's case - killers. =
First of all, I don't see a problem even if your view of what Ender and others were is true. Have you seen what some kids depict in movies? Unfortunately, people just love being in the movies, on TV, etc.
But in the case of EG, I don't agree with you view anyway (grin). None of the kids were murderers in training. Killing in war, against military targets, is not murder, though I know some people's philosophy is different.
Nor do I even view Ender as a "killer", at least not in the sense most people think of when that term is used.
He killed two kids, but didn't know he had done so and did not intend to do so. In the case of blowing up the bugger planet, he still thought he was playing a game and took an action he thought would actually get him out of the training program if done in real life (thus at least implying he would not have done such an act deliberately).
Posts: 17 | Registered: Jun 2004
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The movie that gives me great hope when it comes to "Ender's Game" is a film called "Frailty". "Frailty" is a movie for adults, with two children (admittedly a few years older than Ender's lot) in the main roles. There's a huge amount of death, fear, anguish, and madness in the movie, and the two kids were amazing. Sadly they'll both be too old to play Ender or Bean (although Peter...???)
Anyone who has been a kid can tell you that kids can hate, can be extremely violent, can inflict the worst mental and physical torture on their peers. And all without acting! It isn't a matter of whether good enough child actors can be found - it's whether the head honchos are brave enough to depict the characters onscreen.
Posts: 66 | Registered: Apr 2005
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There's going to be great difficulty in making it exactly like the book. Go read Ender's Game again and try to note how much Ender actually talks in his head as opposed to what he says to others. It's going to be hard to pull of his thoughts in the movie. You could have a voice over but that might come off as stupid. The point is that they might not be able to illustrate his thoughts and that is going to be the biggest problem in the movie because that's the whole point of Ender's Game. Without his thoughts how are you supposed to know the reasons behind his actions? There is going to have to be a trade off which is probably gonna piss off alot of you, but some of you might also appreciate the changes they make. Who's to say. Movies made from books generally do this. My hope is that a director will read the book before actually directing it. You'd be surprised how many don't do that.
Posts: 51 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I don't believe the kids were depicted as murderers in training either, and I believe people who think about the book and think about the movie and the message will get it.
I'm just worried about all of the people who protest for the sake of protesting. And of course I should keep in mind that parents of good child actors wouldn't turn down a script just because on a whim it seems to creepy. Yeah. guess it's silly.
I just don't want it to be shot down by the people who won't see it. it wouldn't be fair.
Posts: 58 | Registered: Apr 2005
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and I just don't tend to forget Card's foward to Ender's Game, about the teachers and the parents who felt that Card didn't understand children. I'm afraid that there are so many of them. it's silly because it was my third grade teacher who introduced me to the book, and discussed the book with me at length. I always had adults back me up who understood how kids think, and how people under age 12 are still people, from before I can even remember.
I dunno. probably fretting over nothing .
Posts: 58 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote: It needs to be violant, and maybe the anti-violence in movies groups will go crazy that a kids' movie is showing a six year old killing a bully, but that needs to be shocking.
It's not supposed to be a kids movie, is it? Hasn't OSC said that he didn't write it for children, but for a more mature audience?
I would, however, much rather have there not be any movie. A lot of my favorite books have been, well, not ruined, but..never the same after seeign the movie. They movies weren't bad or anything, but, can any movie ever live up to the standards we've set for Ender's Game? No matter how great the movie turns out to be, I believe that it will be a dissappointment to many of us.
Posts: 1215 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I think that the issue of nudity is more than a minor concern in one key part of the film.
In the fight between Ender and Bonzo, Bonzo lowers himself to Ender's level by stripping his clothing and getting his body wet. How else can it be shown that Bonzo fought fairly and honorably?
OR- would it be more profitable to make Ender seem as a god-like hero who in spite of his enemy taking every advantage he still emerges victorious. I think this takes away from the character development, but I really don't see any way around it.
So I repeat- in what way can Bonzo seem to fight fairly, if nudity is not (can not be, with child actors...) displayed in the film?
Posts: 62 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I'd like the see EG made into a film, but I'd rather see it done right. But as crazed fans, we're probably never going to get the film made the way we'd like to see it done.
I worry about what Warner Bros will do to the film to commercialize it and make it palatable to the mass audience.
The way I envision the movie starting is with a flashback to Ender's life on Earth and when he first went to Battle School. Then you have Ender's narration of what happened and his reflections on it. Then flash forward to maybe Ender in Dragon Army played by a 12 or 13 year old actor playing younger.
Typically kid movies cast kids a few years older than the target market. So if they have 10-12 year olds in Ender's Game, it's a movie for 8-10 year olds, and as it's been said on here before, what parent wants to take their small children to a movie about kids killing other kids and commiting genocide?
Recently there's been a lot news articles about Star Wars Episode III's PG-13 rating and the violence in it, outraging some parents who's little kids want to go see the movie and who can't understand why a Star Wars movie isn't being made for a six year old. (yet adult fans complain about Jake Lloyd and Jar Jar making the other SW prequels unwatchable)
But if Ender's Game ends up with a PG-13 rating, it will likely tank at the box office. Look at the Lord of the Files remake from 1990. Maybe not the most critically acclaimed film, but a total flop because most adults don't want to see a movie about a bunch of kids going crazy and killing each other with all sorts of deep philosophical meaning and parents wouldn't let kids see it.
The 1990 Lord of the Files is probably a good example of what can go wrong with adaptations, since it did have a mainly all child cast (the director oddly cast children who had never acted before because he thought their behavior was more natural). But it also shows how a studio can ruin a classic novel with trying to modernize it and make it appeal to more of a mass, American audience.
Posts: 1 | Registered: May 2005
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As for casting: I would love to see Ender's Game done in the same animated style that the 2001 Final Fantasy movie was. That would be absolutely gorgeous to see, since you wouldn't have to worry about the age of people or appearances.
Rating: Of course it's going to be a high rating. I would expect it to be PG-13, based on the content of the book. Plus, even the people who haven't read the book are going to know someone who has, or they're going to at least recognize the name. It really has become one of America's most well-known books at this point, based on my experiences with grade school and high school. I knew people who were nine who had read the books and enjoyed them, and never have I mentioned Ender's Game and had someone ask what I was talking about. Ultimately, I think that even if it were a PG-13 rating, a LOT of people wouldh want to see it: those who have read the book will want to know how well the movie was executed, and people who know the name but are too lazy or don't have access to the book will want to know the plot and what all the hype is about. Either way, put the name "Ender's Game" on a movie, and you're going to drag in a loooot of money at the box office. = =
Posts: 5 | Registered: May 2005
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As for a cartoon format, anime or otherwise, I don't think that make for a successful move. Sure you could manipulate characters more easily, but this is the age of CGI. Anyone can see a little boy fly in a cartoon. But to make it a real living boy...like, this could actually happen one day...that is attractive. There're not that many people who've read Ender's Game, especially around my high school. Around one in twenty, maximum. So naturally they won't go just to see a film version of the book. They'll go to see a movie, and a feature-length cartoon is not very appealing.
Let's face it--"animation" in the U.S. will always be associated with Disney, and Disney makes its full-length animated films primarily for children. Teenagers see "animated" and think, I'm way too old for this. (I'm assuming that the primary market will be the U.S.; correct me if I'm wrong.)
Cartoons and anime are beginning to rise again, it's true...but the successes are few and far between. The only anime that I've watched and didn't feel cheesed-out by recently was the Animatrix shorts. But I'd choose the movies every time...for the illusion of authenticity I felt while watching them. I can only recall one okay anime movie that appeared in theaters recently in my area (Spokane, WA) which was Spirited Away, and it only showed at one theater.
I urge anyone to name five box-office hits in the United States that were animated(including anime) from the past three years.
An interesting alternative, however, to which would still apply the benefits of an animated film could be a computer-animated film. Those have attracted plenty of viewers recently--Shrek, Finding Nemo, etc., and are on the rise at least in the U.S. If the human characters could be rendered well enough (think Shrek or the Polar Express) it could be done. As long as it wasn't affiliated with Pixar (which still employs the over-the-top cartoonish-looking humans Disney likes), I'd say the movie would have a fighting chance.
But I would really like to see a live-action Ender's Game. Posts: 973 | Registered: Apr 2005
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CGI would work great, in the sense of looks- you'd be able to manipuate the characters how ever you like. Final Fastasy (the movie not the game) was a goood example of using CGI well, but that does not nessicarily make it a great movie. Live action would be My first bet. Music is really important. They need to protray the emotional/mental themes in a way that is not to compicated. the battle room is also going to be difficult if the camera doesn't get the whole picture. Anime is NOT the answer. I like the Ideal of making them like 10-12 age range, teenagers wouldbring in too many complications; but as long as the actor look mature enough to fit the roles.
Posts: 7 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I do not think the accuracy of the children's ages is important to the power of the story at all. I would rather see the ages changed to being teenagers in order to get the better acting and less casting problems. I think it important to not get bogged down in the details at the expense of the story-telling.
Posts: 39 | Registered: Aug 2002
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But changing the characters to teenagers alters the story horribly! Ender's Game is a story about young children, not hormone-driven, independent rebels. These kids are still dependent upon adults to a certain degree. More importantly, it would be more believable for an eleven-year old to be fooled into destroying the buggers than a fifteen-year old. I thought the whole point of the book was that these were kids, smart, yes, but still kids.
Posts: 973 | Registered: Apr 2005
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One problem I saw was that it would be hard to convey Ender's thoughts on things. That's really what makes the books work is you're in his head like a monitor. So how do you get this in the movie without making it look cheesy? Well the other day I finally got to see the Chronicles of Riddick. There was one part where he's walking or doing something and not saying a word, but as he's walking you're able to hear his thoughts. This was done pretty well and I think could be used the same way in the movie. It would get thoughts accross without screwing it up too much.
Posts: 51 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I don't think Ender can be played by a teenager. I believe when the book was licensed for the movie, it's in the contract that Ender can not played by anyone older than 12.
The Ender's Game audio book has a whole part at the end where Mr Card speaks about the book and potential movie. It's really faciniting. He also talks about how to adapt the book when most of it occurs in Ender's head, and that's why it will incorporate Ender's Shadow and Bean as well.
I would love to see Ender's Game come to the big screen in any form. As long as the movie tells Ender's story, I'll be happy. And it's rated PG, more kids will see it and read the book. No movie will ever be better than the book.
Posts: 14 | Registered: May 2005
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Jacob: It's already been picked up by Warner Bros. I think they're now finnishing up the final draft. As for ages of the kids. Mr Card himself has said that it will have to be all children actors around the appropriate ages (5+), and I can imagine he will vocalize his ideas to the people making the movie.
Posts: 51 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I have to second Sid Meier. Patrick Stewart would make an excellent Graff. As for the children, I doubt that they will all have accents because few children that young will have both a clear accent and the ability to speak sufficient english. And children faking accents just doesnt seem wise.
Posts: 17 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Besides, it was said in the books that the children grew up with Common and spoke it without accent. Except for a few exceptions, like Bernard.
Posts: 973 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Miranda: Actually I had another pic for graff. The actors/actresses in this movie are going to either have to be new faces or rarely used faces. One idea I had was the evil guy (coctue?) from the darkman movie). He has the face that can look condecending, and yet still be nice. Face looks intelligent, and he would look ok as he gets fatter as the film goes along.
Posts: 51 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Oh! Dude! I met the bad guy from the Darkman movie! or maybe it was the 2nd or 3rd Darkman movie. he lived near Albany NY or something, least I assume this 'cause I met him at a party my parents dragged me to and he was all like, "Your parents tell me you're a comic book fan - well I was in Darkman 2" and of course I didn't know this, I was like, maybe 12 years old, I hadn't seen Darkman - but he seemed a cool dude. he was right, he was the villian in those movies, and I was all like - Dude. years later. I met a movie star who aughta be in Ender's Game. woot. And - hmm. ok, I was thrown off and starstruck, but he probably was being both condecending and nice when he gave me the autographed photo. <shrugs>. guess I'll look for it now :-[.
Posts: 58 | Registered: Apr 2005
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That's graff in a nutshell. Always glad to know there's another comic fan on here. I just hope he hasn't changed much. His face and body type is perfect for graff. As for Mazer I also have a really good cast call. The grey haired guy from the Highlander TV series. He was a cripple in the movie and ran a bar. He was a member of the watchers. I think he would be a great Mazer.
Posts: 51 | Registered: Mar 2005
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With the making of the movie in CGI, I would love that. That would mean the kids could grow from 6 to 11(or what ever the ages were). But some of the drama/moments in the film may be lost. A 9-year-old CGI kid killing another CGI kid is not as efective as two real kids fighting(please don't take that the wrong way...). CGI would also open a door to the making of the Shadow series. Bean could grow to the enormous size he is ment to. I don't think they could get a kid to grow to that size just by luck in casting...
Going way the heck back to the coment on EG and ES being conbined, it would be interesting to see if they start with Enders story, Beans story, or just start in batle school. Acualy never mind. They need to introduce those other characters.
Posts: 9 | Registered: May 2005
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I think they'd probably start with Ender, and then switch to Bean so the viewer can see what both boys' lives were like before Battle School. I don't think there'll be too much exposition, however. The sooner they get to the school, the more action scenes the movie can draw from.
Posts: 973 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I think CGI can alot of times be the stupidest thing a director can do. Take Star Wars for example, the first three were amazing. Why you say? Because they actually had some guys make models of the ships and put them in front of the blue screen. It looked real because it was real. Now look at the current Star Wars movies. Three words...Jar Jar Binx. Then look at all the battle scenes. He literally has to flood the scenes with so many things that are CGI so that you can't tell between what is real and what is fake. They didn't have to do that with the old movies. You could look at it without getting a headache or having a seizure and know that everything was real. This isn't to mention that all of those talented artists who spent enormous amounts working on these models are now out of work because of CGI. I'm not saying don't use it ever, but be liberal with it. If you're looking to have a real affect, then just make the damn thing. And as for CGI kids, look how well CGI people worked out for the Final Fantasy movie. Now that was a blockbuster hit. Most people can't even remember that it came out. Bottom line. Stick with real kids. Have fresh faces and take time in building the battle school so it looks real and not some piece of crap made on a computer.
Posts: 51 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Problem with Star Wars was that the effects were flashy and show-offy, as with all of the movies in the series. Don't forget that when the originals came out, the effects in them were cutting-edge, designed to push forward and be something no one had ever seen before. Jar Jar Binks was annoying not because he was computer-generated, but because of his character. Fact is, Star Wars had excellent CGI, just the prequels over-did it a bit.
If the Ender's Game movie turns out to be live-action with CG effects, as I suspect it might, what could make it a success will be following not the Lucasfilm/Star Wars formula, but rather movies that utilize but don't flaunt their CGI, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now those films were notorious for their attention to detail--their sets, models, and props were realistic and interesting, while they took the time on their special effects so that the films turned out to be story-driven movies that utilized CG effects rather than CGI-driven movies which happened to have a story, like Star Wars.
Posts: 973 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Another problem with CGI? Money. Moneymoneymoney, and unless Warner Brothers is willing to expend a HUGE amount of money on this film, it's just not going to work. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within took forever and so, so, so much money. Of course, it's not so new anymore, but that probably doesn't make it much cheaper.
Posts: 71 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Did it scare anyone else when it was posted that Brad Pitt was playing Achilles on the frescopictures site? ._______.; It took me a long moment to realize they were talking about Peterson's Troy.
Posts: 71 | Registered: Jul 2005
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