Live Blogging the ‘Ender’s Game’ Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2013

ComicCon4:15 PT Starting very soon after the ‘Divergent’ cast and crew wraps! About 20-30 minutes!

4:20 PT Just FYI, the moderator for our panel is Chris Hardwick, a co-founder of Nerdist.

4:22 PT A poor kid just tried to ask an ‘Ender’s Game’ question at the ‘Divergent’ panel. Wrong movie! Everyone laughed. Eek!

4:44 PT We just saw some exclusive never-before-seen footage from the ‘Ender’s Game’ film. We saw some close up images of the Hive Queen’s ships, Ender and Valentine at the lake, and Ender walking on Eros. The main dialogue was between Graff, Anderson, and Mazer Rackham. They were debating the ethics of lying to Ender.

4:54 PT The kid who messed up earlier is asking his question finally, the crowd is excited!

4:55 PT Gavin Hood says that if he had one goal with this film it’s to be true to the story of Ender Wiggin.

5:04 PT To close the panel we re-watched the ‘Ender’s Game’ footage. Forgot to mention that we saw Ender at his command post where he was instructing individual soldiers in the final battle scene. Audio and pictures to be posted later!

Gavin Hood and Asa Butterfield speak out on gay marriage, Dustin Lance Black on the boycott

As part of the continuing discussion of Orson Scott Card’s controversial statements on gay marriage, and amid threats of a boycott from Geeks OUT, Gavin Hood (the Ender’s Game director) and Asa Butterfield (Mr. Wiggin himself) have weighed in with their own positions. Says Hood,

My view is I’ve been a member of the Courage Campaign for many years and I’m a little distressed by his point of view on gay marriage,” Hood said. … However, the book is not about that issue, so I hope people can still appreciate the book because I think he wrote a great book, and the themes and ideas in the book, I think, are universal and timeless and applicable, and I hope the book will still be appreciated as a great work of art, even though I don’t agree with the author. I optioned the book, not an author, and I love what the author said in that book. … I think it’s slightly bitterly ironic that those themes that are present in the book are not carried through on his particular view on gay marriage.

Butterfield was also supportive, saying, “I agree with rights for everybody” and “you can’t blame a book for its author”.

In related news, Dustin Lance Black, LGBT-activist and author of both ‘Milk‘ and ‘8‘, has also spoken out on the boycott saying this:

There’s so much good to be done right now, boycotting a movie made by 99% LGBT equality folks in an LGBT equality industry is a waste of our collective energy. Making one phone call to a relative in the south who isn’t quite there yet would be 1,000 times more effective. … The homophobic novelist who wrote the book hasn’t been involved in decades. Misguided boycott.

Sources: Huffington Post, The Guardian

San Diego Comic-Con Day 1

IMG_0211Pictures Galore!

Hey, Ansible Readers! We’re down in San Diego for Comic-Con 2013. If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry we have more than enough pictures to make up for what you missed. If you do have a Comic-Con Badge, don’t miss our Complete ‘Ender’s Game’ Guide to SDCC 2013.

A few notes:
1. The ‘Ender’s Game’ Fan experience opens at 11 AM each day.
2. You can get a really neat ID badge with you picture on it from the Fan Experience.
3. Like last year, the Summit Entertainment booth is printing T-shirts. If you want one, you need to get a voucher from upstairs just outside of Room 20d.
4. If the ‘Ender’s Game’ bags and pins are currently sold out, don’t worry. Try again at another time, because they’re giving them out at random times throughout the weekend.
5.Abigail Breslin will not attend tomorrow’s panel as planned. She says via her Twitter, “Was so excited to meet everyone at Comic Con but I’m struggling with a stomach bug 🙁 Valentine will be there in spirit!”

Below we have pictures from the ‘Ender’s Game’ Fan Experience, the Tor Books booth, the Smart Pop Books booth, and the Summit Entertainment Booth. Some of my favorite pictures include ‘Ender’s Game’ writer/director, Gavin Hood, and producer, Bob Orci. These two goofballs took some silly “bromance” pictures at the ‘Ender’s Game’ fan experience. Check them out after the jump!

Edit: We added a few more pictures from the Fan Experience featuring Asa Butterfield and Hailee Stienfeld. Thanks, Michael! Source.

Continue reading

Six New ‘Ender’s Game’ Character Banners

Where’s Bean?

Following the release of a Battle School Aptitude Test this morning, Summit Entertainment has released six character banners via Fandango and Moviefone.
Check them out below!

Ender Wiggin

EndersGame-AndrewEnder

Petra Arkanian

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Colonel Graff

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Major Gwen Anderson

EndersGame-GwenAnderson

Sergeant Dap

egsargentdapchrbnnrw2383x920

Mazer Rackham

EndersGame-Rackham

Tell us your favorite character banner in the comments!

The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.

Battle School Recruitment Video and Aptitude Test

293002_628923303802747_269894703_nAre you prepared for Battle School?

Summit Entertainment has rolled out a battle school recruitment video. The video takes viewers to a website where you can take a quick test that places you into one o four armies- Dragon, Rat, Salamander, and Asp.

Take the International Fleet’s Battle School Aptitude Test and find out if you have what it takes to lead our fight in protecting Earth from the Next Invasion. Our future depends on it!

Watch below and take the Aptitude Test here!

The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.

Orson Scott Card Talks Movie, ‘Ender’s Game Alive’ Audio Drama, and More!

orsonscottcardPossible New Edition of ‘Ender’s Game’ … Someday

The BYU student newspaper, The Universe, has a brand new interview from ‘Ender’s Game’ author and BYU alumnus, Orson Scott Card. Card talks about his involvement in the ‘Ender’s Game’ film, his recent work on the ‘Ender’s Game Alive’ audio drama, and more. Read below!

Q: Have you, or have film studios, wanted to make “Ender’s Game” a film before now? Why did you choose now to make the film?

A: We’ve been working on this movie for many years. Chartoff Productions, with Lynn Hendee as the producer who worked most constantly with me, optioned “Ender’s Game” more than 15 years ago. I wrote many scripts, with their counsel, and we took it to studios and possible producing partners many times.

The problem was that despite the visual strength of some of the scenes, the book is very hard to film. It takes place through Ender’s point of view — in the book, you always know what Ender is thinking. But a film can’t get inside a character’s head. So even if you show the scenes, it doesn’t mean the audience will like or care about the character.

We found that people who knew the book already would read my scripts and say, “Wow, you nailed it.” But someone who had never read the book would read the same script and didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. It wasn’t until my final attempt that I finally understood how to make it work.

Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield star in “Ender’s Game,” set to be released on Nov. 1, 2013. (Photo courtesy Summit Entertainment)

The story wasn’t about Ender vs. the aliens, or even about Ender vs. the adults. It was about Ender with the other kids — helping them, caring about them, showing an example of strength and courage, and never acting for his own benefit at their expense. I realized that to work, the script had to make the audience want to have Ender as their leader — not because he was so smart, but because they could trust him completely.

The script that had that idea at its heart worked. But that is not the script that was filmed. The director, Gavin Hood, shot the script he wrote himself, without reference to mine. That is not a surprise — executives can lose their jobs for filming an author-written screenplay.

I had my personal education in screenwriting, though, and more to the point, my personal exploration of my own book and what worked in it. So this spring, as I wrote the audioplay version of it — a six-hour miniseries for voice actors called “Ender’s Game Alive” — I didn’t have to go through the long learning curve. I knew how to adapt it. Of course, it’s a completely new script because the needs of audio drama are absolutely different from film scripting.

But I think when Audible.com releases the Skyboat Road production this fall, audiences that give it a try will find that yes, you can have a complete dramatic adaptation of “Ender’s Game” despite the inability to get inside Ender’s head. Of course, I had six hours to work with; the movie has less than two.

As for the movie: It got made when it did because there were finally studios willing to bet some serious money on making it work. First Odd Lot Productions came in, partnering with Digital Domain; then Summit brought in the rest of the budget. In midstream, Summit was bought by LionsGate.

I have to say that the LionsGate executives have been absolutely brilliant in their support of a production that they didn’t actually choose to do. I’ve seen a rough cut, and while there are changes that will annoy some fans, it’s a sharp, tight, emotional movie that contains much of what works in “Ender’s Game.”

Best of all, the movie doesn’t erase a single word of the book. So people who first encounter the story in the movie can always turn to the book to get the whole thing. And those who see only the movie will still have had a good time in the theater. Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, and all the other kids and adults do a fine job in their roles, and the designs look great.

I think the special effects and acrobatic teams did the Battle Room as well as it can possibly be done. Good thing, too, because the kids about killed themselves learning how to make the moves on wires that the Cirque de Soleil professionals taught them to do. I bet they wished more than once that there had been a way to really film it in freefall.

Q: Will this affect the future of your writing career? Will you spend more time on screenplays or continue mainly with novels?

A: I make my living from fiction. To me, that is the finest storytelling medium ever designed. Even when a person aspires to screenwriting, television is the place where writers have the most freedom and the most influence over the final product. Most screenwriters labor on many scripts and see few, if any, make it to the screen — and even then, their work is usually at least partly undone by others. So in writing fiction, I have an unlimited effects budget, I can use all the locations I want, the cast is always superb, and nobody can come in after me and cut or reshoot scenes they don’t like.

Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield star in “Ender’s Game,” set to be released on Nov. 1, 2013. (Photo courtesy Summit Entertainment)
Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield star in “Ender’s Game,” set to be released on Nov. 1, 2013. (Photo courtesy Summit Entertainment)
For good or ill, when I write a novel, it’s written — unless I come back myself to fix it. I made a stupid mistake near the end of one of my novels. Fixed it in the paperback; we’re fixing the audiobook right now. Just a small revision in the last half of the last chapter. But such a howlingly dumb error. I was tired. And in my defense, nobody else caught it, either. Ever. But I did, and I couldn’t write the next book in the series till I fixed it. So yeah, even my fiction isn’t the final version.

I’ve written Valentine’s and Ender’s meeting after the war three different ways, in “Ender’s Game,” “Ender in Exile,” and most recently in “Ender’s Game Alive.” Which is the real one? Maybe someday I’ll do a new edition of “Ender’s Game” that reconciles them all. What matters is that in each case the scene does the job it needed to do. The characters are true to themselves, and each scene works within its context. That’s all I can ask a scene to do. After all, you do know that I just make this stuff up, don’t you?

Read the interview in it’s entirety here.

The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.

An ‘Ender’s Game’ Guide to San Diego Comic-Con 2013

imgresSummit Entertainment

Hall H Panel– Thursday July 18th, at 3:50 PM Summit Entertainment will hold an ‘Ender’s Game’ panel with Gavin Hood (Writer/Director), Bob Orci (Producer), Asa Butterfield (Ender Wiggin), Harrison Ford (Colonel Graff), Hailee Steinfeld (Petra Arkanian), and Abigail Breslin (Valentine Wiggin). Exclusive footage from the ‘Ender’s Game’ film will also be shown.

Autographs– There will be two limited autograph signings in the Autograph Area. The first signing with Bob Orci, Gavin Hood, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, and Abigail Breslin will be hold on Thursday July 18th, 9:00-10:00 AM. A drawing for line tickets to be held Thursday at 9:00 am in the Autograph Area. The second signing with Aramis Knight, Suraj Parthasarathy, Jimmy Pinchak, Conor Carrol, and Cameron Gaskins will be hold on Saturday July 20th, 12:15-2:30 PM. A drawing for line tickets to be held Saturday at 9:00 am in the Autograph Area.

ENDERS GAME Lapel Pins - Summit BoothSummit Entertainment Booth– #4245 in the Grand Hall,  Premium promotional items will be distributed to the 120,000 attendees walking the convention floor, and booth visitors will be given the opportunity to win “fast passes” to the ENDER’S Game Exclusive Fan Experience, granting them entry without having to wait in line. Click here to see all the free ‘Ender’s Game’ promotional items.

Guests– The following ‘Ender’s Game’ cast and crew members have confirmed that they will attend SDCC 2013: Bob Orci, Gavin Hood, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Aramis Knight, Brandon Soo Hoo, Jimmy Pinchak, Suraj Parthasarathy, Conor Carrol, and Cameron Gaskins.

Fan Experience– Attendees will be able to visit an exhibit outside of the Hilton Gaslamp, featuring 8 unique rooms representing the most iconic environments of Ender’s world, complete with original film props and set pieces used in the movie.  Throughout the experience, attendees will be able to see exclusive film footage on LED screens, interact with new digital content, integrate photos of themselves into the highly anticipated Battle Room, and register to win a home make over. *You do NOT need a Comic-Con badge to visit the Fan Experience, however, fast passes can be won via the Summit Entertainment Booth #4245.

Credit: Daniel Maxwell, @DanoFrnandez

Credit: Daniel Maxwell, @DanoFrnandez

movie coverTor Books

Tor Booth– Booth #2707 Saturday July 20th, 12:00 PM Tor will giveaway signed copies of the Ender’s Game movie tie-in novel.

 

 

 

 

 

205646_10152519566380331_1211207681_n1-300x225Smart Pop Books

Smart Pop Booth– #4200 Exhibit Hall, Entrance F Smart Pop will be giving away ‘Ender’s World’ “Dragon Army” and “Third” buttons. You will also have a chance to scan your badge and win a copy of ‘Ender’s World’ edited by Orson Scott Card. Additionally, the Smart Pop Preview Sampler 2013 will include new answers from Orson Scott Card to reader-submitted questions.

Other

Aaron Johnston– ‘Earth Unaware’ and ‘Earth Afire’ co-author, Aaron Johnston, has said that he will be at Comic-Con. Although he will not be at a booth, if you track him down via his Twitter, he will sign your books!

HGTV’s ‘Ender’s Game’ Fan Experience to Include Home Makeover

imgres‘Ender’s Game’ fan experience to include footage, home makeover

An article in the Wall Street Journal provides some exciting information on what fans lucky enough to attend the ‘Ender’s Game’ fan experience can look forward to. The experience, sponsered by HGTV, will take place outside the Hilton Gaslamp and include:

….an interpretation of the Wiggins home living room–among eight elaborate, specially constructed, unique rooms that represent the most iconic environments of Ender’s world, complete with original film props and set pieces used in the movie.

During the four-day event that runs July 18-21, “Ender’s Game” visitors can see exclusive film footage on LED screens, interact with new digital content, integrate photos of themselves into the highly anticipated Battle Room and enter the sweepstakes for the chance to win $10,000 courtesy of HGTV for their own “out of this world” home makeover. As the “Journey Begins At Home” in “Ender’s Game,” HGTV’s space showcases a sneak peek at a home of the future.

Hopefully, this will be one of many thrilling developments at Comic-Con this week.

The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released November 1st, 2013.

HI-RES Image of Ender and Petra

Another Image of Ender and Petra

Check out this brand new image of Petra Arkanian (Hailee Steinfeld) and Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield). This image is originally from Collider, but we have the high resolution version below. Click the image below!

ENDER'S GAMEThe ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.