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EXCLUSIVE: Asa Butterfield, the 14-year old title star of Martin Scorsese’s 3D film Hugo, has been offered the title role in Ender’s Game, the Odd Lot Entertainment adaptation of the Orson Scott Card science fiction novel. Summit Entertainment will release the film March 15, 2013. Gavin Hood, who helmed Tsotsi and Wolverine, is directing. Ender’s Game is a seminal futuristic novel that Card originated as a short story in 1977 and then turned into a 1985 book that won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards and spawned a series. The storyline begins on Earth after a devastating alien attack, when gifted children are recruited by a government desperate to fight back. The kids train to fight the seemingly invincible, ruthless aliens on a hyper-realistic spaceflight/combat simulator referred to as the game. A young boy emerges as a genius strategist and the planet’s best hope to destroy the alien Formic race.
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are producing through their K/O Paper Products banner, along with Odd Lot’s Gigi Pritzker and Linda McDonough, the author and Lynn Hendee. Digital Domain is also an equity partner. Butterfield, who’s repped by CAA and UK-based Independent, also starred in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Son of Rambow. He was among several young actors who met for that Ender role, and signs look good that he’ll be the film’s star.
Paramount opens Hugo November 23.
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A great book with a cult following. This kid looks pretty good. Guess they’re aging Ender up slightly, but that’s okay.
They damn well better not mute down the violence.
Despite being about kids, it’s really not a kids story AT ALL.
Great story for it’s time but not sure how it’ll play out as a movie. Honestly, it’d do better as a Masters of Science Fiction-style tv episode.
Completely agree. Masters Of Science Fiction was amazing. They should bring that show back.
GREAT casting. Very excited to see how this one’s going to shape up. Really strong script off to a great start.
I am REALLY not looking forward to this adaptation. Damn you, Gavin Hood.
Ender’s Game= The Spirit 2. I can not wait to forget about one more bad movie financed by Gigi Pritzker.
If the kid is lucky, it will be as orange as the girls of ‘From Prada to Nada’, thanks to the producing touch of Linda McDonough.
Sunds like you have a personal problem with the people who also brough DRIVE to audiences. How about you focus on the casting instead of throwing around insults.
Um, did you see DRIVE? Genius! I just looked them up and they also made RABBIT HOLE – I loved that film! I’m not sure what your comparisons/complaints aim to accomplish, but I think the other guy is right – you clearly have a personal issue and aren’t commenting on the actual topic. Personally, after DRIVE and RABBIT HOLE, I look forward to ENDER’S GAME. Asa is a brilliant actor (he was captivating in THE BOY WITH THE STRIPED PAJAMAS), and can definitely pull this off.
um, how are the games at all a cross between the harry potter quidich matches and light saber battles from star wars? i understand the desire to get casuals to see the movie, but absolutely nothing about it could be related at all to those examples.
THANK YOU! i’m so glad i’m not the only one that thought this. i read that part and i was like, “uuuuhh.. what ender’s game did you read?”
They obviously didn’t read Ender’s Game.
The girl in Hugo is much better. This kid looks creepy.
He’s very charming and cute.Creepy?No way.Only when he plays Mordred!I can’t wait to see him in this new film!He loves technology and similar things about it so I guess he’s excited about it!Asa,dear,if you see this you rock and you are going to make it in any movie because you have this damn acting talent!
Looks good for it. I really hope fans of the book don’t start complaining that he’s not six years old.
i dont read that. i dont know that. maybe this is good choise. will see.
Creepy looking kid.
This just ruined the movie. He’s too old to play Ender.
The studio wanted to make Ender a teenager (I think 16 or something), but Orson Scott Card refused to make him that old. I think that they compromised at around 12 or something (guess this kid will be playing younger). But they refused to have all that violence surrounding a kid of Ender’s true age in the book.
Sadly, he’s a bit too old for the role. But at least he can act.
I was one of those kids that read this book in the seventh grade. I am so pleased that this story is getting retold, I’m certain they will have a butt load of sequels to come.
I couldn’t really care what little boy they choose, unless it was justin beiber then I would SCREAM!
I’m actually not so concerned with this kid as I am with the director. Did anyone see what he did with Wolverine? Atrocious! There are dozens of awesome kid actors out there, plus CGI does wonders these days, but the director is going be the differnce between a shallow popcorn flick and a much more meaningfully significant film.
Yes!!!! May it finally be made! Card is a genius and why this “harry potter in space” story has not been made yet is BEYOND me! In fact, they should already be “rebooting” (hate that stupid term) this franchise at this point.
I like Asa Butterfield (despite his creepy look in the eyes). If it’s an adaptation from an award-winning novel, I’ll look forward for it. We’ll see who’ll be cast next.
I can’t wait for this new “Megaman” movie….
The kid looks good. The problem with ender’s game is that it wont do well. Why? It’s not a kid’s story despite the fact that it has kids in it, and summit is going to try to make it a kid’s story, which will kill the essence of it. Also, Mr. Card’s rant about gay people will be brought to the front once the press for this movie gets kicking and it will be examined with a telescope, which would kill the box office for this.
The boy was brilliant in the Boy in the Stripped Pajamas and Son of Rambo.
I really hope they do not make this into a kiddie movie an R rating is 100% expected. I personally am looking forward to this and think they did a good job picking him as Ender. I am kind of hoping to see Petra Arkanian played by Elle Fanning. but I will have to look this up on imdb now.
Sure, give a film that is an adaptation of a novel which is most popular among teens/young adults an R rating. Prevent a huge chunk of your target audience from being able to see it. That’s why The Hunger Games will probably be rated R as well…
It’s the story that matters. The physical violence (and under-aged nudity) can be toned down as necessary.
I always thought of it as Lazer Tag in zero G
I’ve been bouncing all this EG news of OSC’s webmaster wonderign why no comment from the author. Her reply is “because it’s fictional.”
So, unless/ until I start seeing official EG news from Hatrack, I will take it all as rumor.
That said, count me among those who might rather see this as a CGI story or a 10-12 episode miniseries on HBO or some such.
Unusual coincidence that the boy who stars in “Hugo” is now doing a Hugo award-winning book for an encore. Wonder if he will eventually star in an adaptation of Hugo’s “The History of a Crime” (just to complete the meme)?
I’m excited for the movie, but this kid is way too old to be playing Ender…
I was really hoping to see new actors for this. I also think that this kid is too old for the role. I can see 11 and 12 year olds playing for younger, but a 14 year old who will soon be 15 to play for 11ish was not my ideal of the kids who are in the story. He is a great actor, but was looking for some new talent in the movie. I’m sure hollywood could care less of what us fans of the book series wants in characters.