Favorite "Ender's Game" Moments of 2012

With 2013 fast upon us, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at 2012 and relive a few of the most exciting moments in the Ender's Game fandom.

So, to wrap up 2012, here are two questions for you:

-- What was your favorite Ender's Game moment from this past year?
-- What do you think/hope your answer to the same question will be a year from now?

Reply in the comments! Also, if you're just now joining us and would like to read a wrap-up of the past year of production, check out our movie timeline.

It's been an absolute pleasure spending the past year with all of you and I'm really looking forward to what 2013 will bring. Everyone please stay safe tomorrow night!

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EnderCast Episode #2: Year of the Ender

Hey guys! I know Crystal and I said we weren't going to record another podcast this year -- but we had so much fun with the last one we couldn't help ourselves. So we're back! We hope you'll forgive us.

In this special end-of-the-year episode, we cover:

• Release date and discussion on Earth Afire
• Release date and discussion on Ender’s World
• Hi-res still (same Ender and Graff one) analysis
• Predictions for 2013′s marketing campaign for the movie
• Ender’s Game Merchandise We Hope We Never See

To listen to last night's episode, you can either check it out on the EnderCast website or download it on iTunes!

Also, make sure to comment and let us know what you think, and let us know if you have any ideas for future topics, guests, or games we could play on the show!

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A special note to all the cast members of Ender's Game: Though we don't necessarily want them on our pillow cases, we love all your faces.

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Winners: A Battle School Christmas

Hey Launchies! There's hot chocolate on the stove and presents to investigate so I'm going to make this one short and sweet.

Here are the winners of our fandom-wide holiday giveaway:

Reuben Lack - a signed photo of Aramis Knight and an EN sticker

Elaria Rain - a copy of the Entertainment Weekly magazine with the Ender's Game still and an EN sticker

Katelyn Lui, Alex Guerra, Francis Leclair, Anne Fink, Jessican Guitard - 1 EN sticker, an UNOFFICIAL fan-made bracelet and a SDCC 2012 pin

Congratulations to everyone who won! You've all been contacted via email/Twitter/Facebook and have until January 3rd to send us your mailing address. If we hear nothing from you by then, we'll pick a new winner and your prize will go to them -- let's not let that happen!

If you didn't win, rest assured that this is not the last giveaway that'll be popping up around here. Far from it! The most exciting stuff in the Ender's Game fandom is yet to come and we're really looking forward to upcoming opportunities to offer you guys more fun prizes.

Happy Holidays, everyone. And stay safe! The weather outside is frightful.

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Asa Butterfield Attends "Silver Linings Playbook" Screening

Earlier this week, Ender Wiggin actor Asa Butterfield attended the screening of Silver Linings Playbook at the Charlotte Street Hotel in London, England.  Produced by movie studio chairman Harvey Weinstein (Django Unchained, The Artist), the film centers around a man trying to re-build his somewhat complicated life after spending 8 months in a mental institution.

Here are some photos of Asa at the event:

(Photos © Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

We haven't heard much from Asa since principal production on Ender's Game ended in June, so it was nice to catch him out and about this past Sunday. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of him once promotion on the film picks up sometime next year!

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"Ender's World" -- Ender Anthology Available April 2, 2013

Cover by Nick Greenwood

Smart Pop Books reached out to us today to give us a bit more information about their upcoming Ender's Game anthology, Ender's World. While we previously reported that the book would be available in February, it seems the release date has been pushed to April 2, 2013 -- but is now available for pre-order on Amazon for those who want to secure their copy now. (Thanks to EnderWiggin.net for the tip!)

And this book is something you're not going to want to miss. Not only is Ender's World filled with essays from both military strategists and best-selling authors, but it will also answer questions submitted to Card by fans of the Enderverse!

From the press release:

"[...] Card has teamed up with Smart Pop to produce Ender's World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender’s Game, a collection of science fiction, fantasy, and YA writers, along with military strategists, offering new insight into Ender's Game and other stories in the Ender chronology. Edited and with brand new content by Card himself, it's the perfect book at the perfect time for old fans and new readers alike to (re)enter the world of Ender's Game in preparation for the November 2013 film adaptation.

In Ender's World, Card answers some of readers' biggest questions, from What qualities did the Battle School tests look for? to If you could go back and re-write Ender’s Game, what would you change?"

Also included was a full list of contributors to the anthology:

John Brown	Hilari Bell	Mette Ivie Harrison
Janis Ian	Aaron W. Johnston	Alethea Kontis
Mary Tobinette Kowal	David Lubar and Allison S. Meyers	Matt Nix
Colonel Tom Ruby	John F. Schmitt	Eric James Stone
Neal Shusterman	Ken Scholes

It's perhaps worth noting that contributor Aaron W. Johnston is the co-author of Earth Unaware, the first book of the Ender's Game prequel trilogy, and the upcoming second chapter, Earth Afire, which is set to be released next June.

As we reported before, the book cover design (by Nick Greenwood) was done under the supervision of Orson Scott Card himself. Take a closer look at what Battle School may look like in Card's imagination:

Cool, right? Do you think the Battle School of the movie is similar?

Make sure you also check out our SDCC 2012 interview with Smart Pop Book's Editor-in-Chief Leah Wilson and Publishing Associate Heather Butterfield. They had a lot to say about putting together an anthology such as Ender's World -- and are both very much looking forward to the movie.

We'll be posting our review of Ender's World sometime in the upcoming weeks, so keep checking back - and don't forget to pre-order your copy!

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Giveaway: A Battle School Christmas

Recently, I got together with some friends from various Ender's Game sites and we all decided it would be fun to do something together this month! To get everyone a bit into the holiday spirit, Ender News, EnderWiggin.net, Ender's Ansible, and Ender's Game Fansite will all be launching giveaways on their respective sites this week. And some of the prizes are pretty darn cool!

What Ender News is giving away:

• 1 signed photo of Aramis Knight (see right) + an Ender News sticker
• 1 copy of the Entertainment Weekly magazine with the Ender's Game still + an Ender News sticker
• 5 sets of 1 EN sticker, an UNOFFICIAL fan-made bracelet and a SDCC 2012 pin

Seven total prizes, seven winners, all of which will be selected on December 25, 2012.

Here's how you can enter: 

It's super easy! Simply use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter by either "liking" Ender News on Facebook or following us on Twitter. The contest ends at midnight EST on December 24, and we will announce our winners the next day. They'll all be contacted via the social media site they used to participate.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please keep in mind: each winner will have one week (until January 3rd) to claim their prize by sending their mailing address to endernews@gmail.com. If a winner fails to reply, they will forfeit their prize and a new winner will be chosen.

Other Ender's Game giveaways:

Prizes: An autographed photo of Jimmy Jax Pinchak, a gift edition hard cover of Ender's Game, a copy of EW with the Ender/Graff movie still, and EnderWiggin.net magnets/buttons! (EnderNet)

Prizes: A copy of EW with the Ender/Graff movie still, an original Ender's Game poster design, an Ender's Game SDCC t-shirt, pins, and IF logo pins! (Ansible)


Obviously each site is running their own giveaway separately with their own rules/regulations so make sure to keep that in mind when participating.

Happy holidays, everyone! 318 days to go. :)

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Hi-Res Version of First "Ender's Game" Still

Hey guys! The lovely people over at Summit were kind enough to send us a hi-res version of the still that EW released last week. Click to enlarge (and download the hi-res version here).

Download

This larger version gives us a better look at Graff's badge -- and that's definitely the International Fleet insignia on his shoulder. Is there anything we missed in the first still break down? Can anyone read what is written on that girl's name tag?

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Cast at Hailee Steinfeld's 16th Birthday Party

Hailee Steinfeld, the actress portraying Petra Arkanian in next year's film, celebrated her 16th birthday in Los Angeles last night with family, friends, and a major splash of young Hollywood.

Lucky for us, the party was a great excuse for the Ender's Game cast to get together for another mini reunion; those who were in the area showed up to support their friend and enjoy the night.

Khylin, Hailee and Aramis

Aramis, Khylin, Moises + Jaden Smith and Mateo Arias

Hailee with Mia Swier, Darren Criss, & Alexander DeLeon

Aramis Knight and Khylin Rhambo

For more photos, check out our gallery or head over and like us on Facebook where you can see most of these images posted as soon as they come in.

Happy 16th birthday, Hailee! We hope last night was a blast.

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Introducing EnderCast: An "Ender's Game" Podcast

Hey guys! I'm really excited to announce that Ender News has joined forces with Crystal from EnderWiggin.net to bring you guys an Ender's Game podcast, EnderCast.

( Episode 1: Launch )

And we don't really even know how it happened! Earlier this week, Crystal and I decided it would be fun to do something together over the next year while we're waiting for the movie. After throwing some ideas around, and since we were already talking about the Ender franchise on a regular basis, we thought it'd be amusing to record our chatter and let the rest of the fandom participate in our discussions.

A podcast was born!

We recorded our first episode, LAUNCH, last night, in which we talked a bit about the first official still, Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin (his age and height), Graff's weight, and which direction they might be taking the Ender's Game franchise. We also mention a holiday giveaway that may or may not be coming up soon, so make sure you check it out!

Interested in participating? For future episodes, we are definitely going to be looking to answer some of YOUR questions so put your thinking caps on. The more fans take part, the more fun it will be!

Have any ideas for a guest speaker? Anything you want us to discuss? Send all your comments, questions and ideas to us over on our contact page, or get a hold of us on Facebook or Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time, Launchies. :)

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Graff and Ender's Newsstand Debut

And so it begins: fans of the upcoming Ender's Game movie might want to consider picking up a copy of this week's edition of Entertainment Weekly (December 14), as the entirety of page 21 was devoted to EW's exclusive first look at Graff and Ender's Battle School stare-down. The article:

Ender's Game Prepares for Takeoff

Orson Scott Card's beloved 1985 sci-fi novel, Ender's Game, may be largely about kids, but its themes are anything but childish. The futuristic adventure -- sort of a conceptual precursor to The Hunger Games -- focuses on a brilliant boy, Ender, who is recruited by the government to attend the space-set Battle School, where he becomes a troubled but extraordinary leader and tactician. In the film (out Nov. 1, 2013) Hugo's Asa Butterfield (right) plays the title character, who spends much of his time at odds with the imposing and manipulative Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford, center). "The relationship between [Harrison] and Asa was very close," says director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), "but he didn't overly befriend him off the set. He helped Asa by allowing that slight sense of intimidation to be there." We'd expect nothing less. -- Grady Smith (EW.com)

After picking up a copy this afternoon, I must say that it was really great to have something tangible in my hands after so much theoretical discussion of the film online. I may even grab another before they take them off the stands later this week!

Super big thanks to EnderWiggin.net for the heads up!

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Introducing the Launchie Barracks: First Still Break-Down

Hey guys! Here's a fun break-down of all the interesting tidbits we ran across while we had our noses stuck in the newly-released still this morning!

Launchie Yellow: While the majority of the barracks is covered in steel grays and blues, the numbers on the floor, the bedding, and even the flight suit of the girl across from Ender are all a vibrant shade of yellow. It's possible that this is the color that separates the Launchies from the rest of the Battle School soldiers. In the book, Dap does give them the color code "red yellow yellow" --  perhaps the army members will similarly be assigned one specific color.

Nametags: Remember the name tags they showed us on the official production blog?

The girl across from Ender seems to be wearing an identical name tag, most likely her last name written both in capital letters and in braille as seen on the right.

EW.com reported that this confrontation between Graff and Ender happens "early on at [Ender's] time in the Battle School," so it seems safe to assume that these name tags are standard wear for every student and I.F. personnel member residing on the space station.

Graff's Badge: On Colonel Graff's right arm, there appears to be some sort of insignia we haven't seen before.  The logo of the International Fleet is situated above a triangular shape I can't quite make out.

Perhaps this is a symbol of his rank as Colonel or an insignia worn by the Fleet members employed at Battle School. Edit: The insignia on Graff's uniform appears to be a chevron,  a "line or stripe in the shape of a V or an inverted V, esp. one on the sleeve of a uniform indicating rank or length of service." (Google) Thanks to EN reader Shanti for the tip!

I.F. Logo: The insignia of the International Fleet is also displayed in a very prominent spot in the back of the barracks, most likely the first thing you'd see when you walked in.

I predict that this symbol will be plastered almost ominously around every corner in Battle School. Doesn't it almost look like an eye?

Bunk Arrangement: Here is Card's description of Ender's first look at the Launchie barracks:

 "The other boys had already chosen their bunks when Ender arrived. Ender stopped in the doorway of the dormitory, looking for the sole remaining bed. The ceiling was low Ender could reach up and touch it. A child-size room, with the bottom bunk resting on the floor. The other  boys were watching him, cornerwise. Sure enough, the bottom bunk right by the door was the only empty bed." - Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

From the photo, we can assume that there are 12 students in the barracks, each standing on a number. Ender himself appears to be standing on the number 2. This leads us to believe that the door to the barracks is nearby, possibly where the camera would be situated in this photograph, and that the bunks are arranged in numerical order in 3 groups of 4s, starting at the door and headed to the back.

This is pure speculation, but doesn't it look like Ender might be in the low bunk by the door? I hope this is something fun they chose to include in the film. Perhaps Ender and Alai are bunkmates!

Desks: It looks like we might be also be getting out first look at the desks. Hanging on the wall beside each bunk, there is a small ipad-type screen with a chair in front of it. The monitors look adjustable and like they might be detachable. On the far left, you can almost make out what is possibly a face on one of the displays.

While these could just be monitors used for Battle School communication, it wouldn't make much sense for every bunk to have their own. Looks like the desks to me!

And here's one last fun fact: When I visited the Ender's Game set with my friends from the other Ender sites, we got to visit the Launchie barracks in person -- and lounge on the beds! I even touched some socks. :) 

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What do you guys think? Are there any other fun things hidden in this still? Email us at endernews@gmail.com or comment here and let us know!

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EW Reveals First Official "Ender's Game" Still

Here we go, everyone! This is what we've all been waiting for.

Early this morning, Entertainment Weekly tore down the curtains and gave us our very first official look at the Ender's Game movie, a still of Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) in what appears to be one of the Battle School barracks:

Check out those socks! And it looks like that could possibly be Suraj Partha (Alai) next to Ender. Do you guys recognize anyone else?

From EW:

In the photo above (Here’s a bigger version), we get a first glimpse of Hugo’s Asa Butterfield (right) as Ender, standing in line with other new recruits (a.k.a. “Launchies”) early on at his time in the Battle School. He’s facing off with the imposing Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford, center) over whether his emails to home are being blocked. It’s telling that the two characters are clashing over communication, since they’ve got major communication issues with each other. In the novel, Ender could never be sure whether Graff was manipulating him, or whether he simply saw great potential in him and wanted to foster it.

Also make sure to visit EW to read their exclusive interview with Ender's Game director Gavin Hood they included with the still.

While the release date is still a while away, we're very much hoping the unveiling of this image signals the beginning of the promotional push for this film. It's been quiet around here for far too long!

How excited are you guys? I'll admit to being a little bit giddy right now! And hey, don't forget to let all your friends know how pumped up you are about this movie: spread the word on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter using the hashtag #EndersGame! Also, make sure to check out the official Facebook page for the film that Lionsgate just launched.

Ender's Game is set for a November 1st, 2013 release -- 331 days from today.

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Orson Scott Card Talks "Ender's Game" Movie

"The movie is supposed to come out a year from now, November 2013, but it's entirely shot already. All of the actors have been sent home, everything is recorded. It's done."

Earlier this month, Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card stopped by Barnes & Noble in Orem, Utah for a book signing and Q&A session, where he spoke quite extensively on the Ender's Game film. Lucky for us, someone recorded the entire discussion and uploaded it on YouTube. It's been split up into several parts, and please keep in mind that the audio continues in Part 3 long after the video has stopped playing:

Part 1 (3:47) | Part 2 (14:43) | Part 3 (2:16) | Part 4 (23:13) | Part 5 (3:35)

For those who have been following this project since the beginning, a lot of the information from the session won't be particularly surprising, though there's plenty of good stuff hidden in those videos if you make your way through them. Here are some of the best bits!

No scenes from the book in the movie?

Back when Card first released the report of his visit to the Ender's Game set, fans of the story were outraged after the author admitted that "very few of the scenes in this movie [come from the book]." During this Q&A session, he cleared up his statement and surprisingly admitted that his own version of the script was similar:

"There are no scenes from the book in the  movie and there are no scenes from the movie in the book. But that's actually not a surprise, that's pretty much how my scripts were, too, because Ender's Game is an un-filmable book; that's something we learned 20 years ago. Ender's Game is a novel in which everything depends on being inside Ender's head. And if you're not inside Ender's head and you just see what he does with no explanation, then he's just an incredibly violent little kid. [...] So we have to construct it in such a way so that you know why he's doing what he's doing."

It is, however, important to note that  Orson Scott Card himself has not read the script. When asked by an audience member if he's read Gavin Hood's version of the screenplay, he replied:

"No. I learned very early on that my life is better if I don't read the screenplays written by other people. What I do is I delegate it to people that I trust. My collaborator on Invasive Procedures and Earth Aware Aaron Johnston is a superb screenwriter [...]. He reads the scripts and my wife reads the scripts. And they aren't the author of Ender's Game, so they don't get as crazy as I do."

Battle Room

As in his original set visit report, Card spoke quite a bit about the Battle Room special effects and the training the kids went through to be able to make moving around in Zero-G look legitimate.

"They had a frame for the actors, a circle, it's used by gymnasts for training. What it is is a wheel within a wheel with ball bearings between it. The cables are attached  to the outside wheel then the inside wheel is attached to your body on a belt. So you can spin completely inside the cable. [...] Then you can also rotate in several directions."

What Card is talking about here is perhaps something similar to a spotting belt:

To prepare for the Battle Room, the young actors were put through hours and hours of grueling training to teach their bodies to move in ways they had never moved before, and Card believes the end result is utterly worth it. Though, how much of the end result we will actually be seeing in the film is unclear.

"One battle in the Battle Room is one too many. You gotta see it happening, but it's like watching Quidditch. How exciting was that? You already know how it's going to come out, you just wanna see them fly around a little bit, bingo, it's over. And that's kind of the way Battle Room is. It'll look great but we're not going to follow these battles closely. We're not going to try to make you figure out what the strategy and tactics are. We'll just assure you that Ender did real well. That's all you're gonna need."

When combining this information with some of Card's previous statements, it seems they'll probably spend less time in the Battle Room than most of us would like, but what they will show is going to be incredible.  And while fans would most likely be cool with watching an epic hour-long battle pitting Rat Army against Dragon, it's simply not possible that they've taken up that much time with it in the movie. Battle Room video game, anyone?

OSC Cameo

While Card himself will not be making an appearance in the film (only his voice), he was originally offered a walk-on role as a military man!  In this Q&A session, he laughed and joked that he was doing us all a favor and improving the aesthetics of the movie by turning them down, insisting he'd "make any uniform look dumpy."

How many of us would have been able to turn such an opportunity down?

His voice appears in the scene in which Graff (Harrison Ford) and Ender (Asa Butterfield) are "on their way to Fleet Headquarters," according to Card. In our interview with him at SDCC 2012, Card stated that they are "traveling to Eros after the whole Battle School thing is over." It seems that Fleet Headquarters is definitely situated on the bugger asteroid in the film.

Is Card voicing the irritated pilot who receives security clearance to fly Graff and Ender to Eros, only to be reassigned to permanent duty there afterward? Funny!

While he  was there on set recording his line, Card was lucky enough to be allowed to sit and watch the scene being filmed:

"They went through the scene, the scene was just very quiet, just the two of them sitting in chairs talking. There's one time when Harrison looks over at him, and one time when Asa looks over at Harrison. There's one time when Harrison reaches out and touches Asa's forearm, Asa looks at the forearm, Harrison pulls his hand back. That's the entire physical motion of the scene."

That sounds a bit familiar. From the Ender's Game novel when Graff and Ender are on the ship headed to Command School:

His eyes were closed, and he had not made any sound but breathing; still, Graff reached out and touched his hand across the aisle. Ender stiffened in surprise, and Graff soon withdrew, but for a moment Ender was struck with the startling thought that perhaps Graff felt some affection for him. But no, it was just another calculated gesture. Graff was creating a commander out of a little boy. No doubt Unit 17 in the course of studies included an affectionate gesture from the teacher. (Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card)

While, again, this is probably a different scene than the one in the novel, it seems very similar to what Card described and goes along with what producer Roberto Orci said about the characters' relationship in a post from the official production blog: "The relationship between Colonel Graff and Ender is key to the movie's success.  Graff would love nothing more than to be Ender's friend, yet Graff can't always show it." (Ender's Game Blog)

It would be great if a version of that scene makes it into the film!

Some parting thoughts from Orson Scott Card:

"Here's the thing about the movie. It's going to be different from the book. It has to be. It couldn't be filmed the way it was, the way the book is. And so, what I'm hoping is, it's brilliant. [..] Here's what I'm saying: Go once! Go, see it. If you love it, great, come back and bring your friends. If you hate it, come and bring your friends and tell them how terrible it was. If this film doesn't make money, I don't get to make any other movies. So please do give it a shot. I think it's going to be good, I really do. The cast is fantastic."

A super huge thanks to Ender News reader Donna for the heads-up!

336 days to go until Ender's Game hits U.S. theaters.

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The Nets Report #5

Ender's Game Cast/Crew News and Gossip

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope all of you Americans had a lovely family and friends-filled day and didn't overdo it this morning with all of the post-turkey coma shopping.

Just popping in for a a quick update on what a couple of our favorite cast/crew members have been up to these past few weeks:

Traditional Thanksgiving Touch Football Game: Garrett Warren vs. Jimmy Jax Pinchak

Every year on Thanksgiving, Ender's Game stunt coordinator Garrett Warren and Peter Wiggin actor Jimmy Jax Pinchak get together with friends and family for a game of touch football.

When asked which team was going to win this year, Mr. Warren assured us that "the old timers will win as always!" (Twitter) but Jimmy disagreed:

Little bit of trivia. Garrett Warren (stunt coordinator on Ender's Game) and I have been playing touch football on Thanksgiving since 2004! I was thrilled to see him on the Ender's set ! Looking forward to our traditional game next Thursday! Watch out Garrett, all of those sit-ups and push-ups paid off! (Facebook)

And it seems he was right! A few of the younger crowd must have done some growing up this past year as, according to the old-timer himself, this was the first time the adults have lost to the kids. I wonder if the adults took it well!

They were both kind enough to share a couple photos of the event:

Instagram

Facebook

Thanks, guys!

Speaking of Garrett Warren, if you've ever wondered what's up with his eye patch and happened to miss his appearance on Dateline NBC, you can hear about his crazy story on last week's episode of the Jeff Probst Show: Kidnapped & Buried Alive: Real Crime Stories. Watch the full episode here!

The Cab's "Endlessly" video featuring Hailee Steinfeld

No explanation necessary. Check it out!



Lucky for us: Hailee, Teen Vogue, and a handy iPhone teamed together to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video, which you can find here. Make sure you scroll through the slideshow -- there is a fun back story behind Hailee's involvement with The Cab and how she came to star in the Endlessly video!

By the way, is this Buggers and Astronauts band ever going to get off the ground? You guys wouldn't have a hard time finding a star for your first shoot! ;)

342 days to go.

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SDCC 2012: Interview with Orson Scott Card Pt. 2: His thoughts on the movie, the cast, and the Battle Room

Hey guys! With the release of the official synopsis yesterday, we thought it'd be a good time to release Part 2 of our San Diego Comic Con interview with Orson Scott Card. Before you start reading, you might want to check out Part 1 in which he talks about his new novel Earth Unaware!

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During the 15 minutes I had with Orson Scott Card, I heard a lot of great and promising things from the author about next year's Ender's Game movie. While he did warn me in advance that there wasn't too much he could say about the film (he was only on the set once), while talking to him, I could definitely tell he was enthusiastic about the project and things to come.

Behind the Scenes: Cast

After we finished discussing Earth Unaware, the conversation quickly shifted to the movie, namely the story's characters and the actors portraying them.

OSC with Leah and Heather from Smart Pop Books

For starters, Card had nothing but great things to say about the cast, specifically Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield, the two actors he had the chance to view in-character during his visit to the set. And Ender News readers may remember that Card visited the set for more than just a behind-the-scenes look at the movie based on his book: he also had a small cameo to record!

I asked Card if he was allowed to talk about his role or his line in the film:

"I was on the set one time, I was there to record one line. It's a scene between Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield. They're traveling to Eros after the whole Battle School thing is over. I'm just the voice of the pilot saying we're approaching the [dock], we're coming in. But it's fun to have my voice there. The nice thing is that I was given a chance to sit in on the set with them in the same room, just off frame, and say my line while they were doing it [the scene]," he said, adding that he also did a separate recording in a sound room multiple times, so it's hard to be sure which version will actually make it into the movie.

Card spent some time telling me about watching Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield interact on set, explaining that the pair would work out different ways to approach each take so that by the end of the day, the editors had a variety of options when cutting scenes.

"I had no idea this was one of the ways to work," Card said, continuing, "I've seen other scenes shooting and it wasn't like that. Ford is a wonderful - he's a generous actor with other actors."

There is something about Harrison Ford, isn't there? Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Blade Runner: he's in so many iconic movies. Speaking for myself, learning that Ford had signed onto the Ender's Game franchise somehow solidified the thing, made it real: They're actually making this into a movie and taking it seriously, because Harrison Ford is in it.

It's easy to see that Card also holds Ford in considerable respect.

"I got to sit there and watch how Harrison Ford works with other actors and the director," Card said, elaborating almost immediately, "You know, we look at him as a personality and people say 'Well he's not really acting, he's just being himself.' First of all, he's not being himself. Himself is a very quiet and reserved man. So that charm - that's Harrison Ford's persona, he's acting. But he's so believable that you think it's him. Now, when you look at actors and you think, 'Wow what a great actor!' chances are he's a terrible actor because you saw him acting. But when you see somebody and you go, 'Well, he wasn't even acting,' that's a good actor. And that's Harrison Ford. So he's wonderful and he's doing a great job."

Not to worry, we didn't talk exclusively about Harrison Ford! Eventually, we got down to the nitty gritty questions, the kind of questions that have been floating around the internet since it first got wind of an Ender's Game movie. Does Card care about the movie coming out? Will it still be any good even if Card was only on set once? What are his hopes for the movie?

Card summed up his feelings pretty well in one sentence: "What we have a chance for is a really great movie based on Ender's Game."

He's definitely excited about it. He seems almost like all other fans of the book - very curious to see how Gavin Hood takes a story rich in characters and plot and creates a visual world to represent it. That he happens to also be the creator of the story doesn't seem to change anything for him:

"What we all have to be prepared for is... Gavin read the book, loved the book, and then wrote the script. [...] What you're getting here is like somebody going 'Let's reboot Ironman!' or 'Let's do a Batman reboot!' Think of this as an Ender's Game reboot. And that'll be fine. It could be really wonderful. What I hope is, I hope people will come with an open mind and will accept Gavin's version of the story. I hope they're excited about it. I hope they enjoy it. I hope it's a great film. It certainly has the cast to be a fantastic movie."

The Battle Room

Card was most excited to talk to me about the Battle Room scenes. We had to make it quick as we were running out of time, but the way he described the room and the kids' maneuvering around it made me really excited too, especially when he explained how all the kids were actually up on wires and had to learn how to work within null gravity - something completely new and foreign to all of them!

"What they [the battle school kids] bonded over was the agony of learning how to fly in the battle room," Card told me, clearly amused. "That was - they were all equals. Nobody got to be the star who didn't have to do it. Everybody was up there doing the wire work. They were all equal there."

As we were wrapping up and beginning to head our separate ways, Card called out to add some comments about the Battle Room and the remarkable way the professionals working on the sets and effects worked within the room, raving:

"I've got to say, the people who are doing the wire work, who are doing all of the 3D stuff, the special effects flying and null gravity, brilliant. They have really - I've seen the results. I've seen the results and it's way better than computer animation. Hitting the walls would have been terrible. These guys have found a way and I've seen it... and It. Looks. Perfect."

It was perhaps the last thing Card said as I was walking away that will give even the biggest skeptics an inkling of hope:

"So many things will be absolutely wonderful about this movie!"

And I think he may be right.

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Full "Ender's Game" Movie Synopsis

Last night, Collider reported that Summit Entertainment has released the full synopsis of the upcoming Ender's Game movie, though it's going to look very familiar to those of you who have been following film news since the start of principal photography.

Though all of the changes appear to be stylistic and there is nothing we didn't already learn in the synopsis taken from the news release back in February, we've highlighted all minor edits to give you an idea of how little has been altered (click to compare):

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.

Pretty straight-forward, though the end is admittedly a little bit more spoiler-y than fans of the book would probably like. An epic battle at the end of a sci-fi movie pretty much goes without saying and seems unnecessary to mention, especially if they intend to include in the film the twist we all love from the novel.

What do you guys think? Are you pleased with the synopsis? Do you think Summit intends to retain the secrets of Ender's Command School training? If so, how will they keep from ruining the surprise while promoting the movie?

Looking forward to finding out!

Ender's Game is set to hit US theaters November 1, 2013.

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Aramis Knight and Andrea Powell at the Premiere of "Breaking Dawn: Part 2"

Getting in a little bit of practice for next year, Aramis Knight is headed to the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles tonight to promote Ender's Game at the premiere of Breaking Dawn: Part 2. If you're interested in watching a live stream of the red carpet event, you can check it out over at Yahoo! Movies.

As a Breaking Dawn cast member, Andrea Powell (Theresa Wiggin) will also be attending the premiere. We're hoping the two of them will meet up at some point in the evening for a picture!

We've definitely been promised some photos so we'll be updating this post as they come in!

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

It's so crazy that less than a year from now we'll be covering the Ender's Game premiere. Can't wait!

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Around 60% of "Ender's Game" Will Include Visual Effects

Ivy Zhong, vice-chairperson of Galloping Horse, the company now responsible for the VFX in Ender's Game, confirmed today in an article with China Daily that, despite Digital Domain's recent troubles, the studio is in fact currently working on the film. The article also revealed a new and rather interesting tidbit: as much as 60 percent of next year's movie will contain special effects.

That might be more than many of us have expected for a movie which, while set in a futuristic world, mostly revolves around characters holed up in a space station. But think about the possibilities: we're already counting on the Battle Room being epic, but there's also the mind game (we hope), war flashbacks, and the advanced technology and gadgets we love to see in all of our favorite sci-fi movies.

It will also be rather interesting to see how they've incorporated special effects into Ender's final exam. Not to give too much away, but if the filmmakers would subject the audience to 20 minutes of Ender sitting in front of the the flashing dots of the simulator with his headset on, they'd put us all to sleep. How will they conceal the twist in the plotline yet still keep the viewers on the edge of their seats? Will there be an epic space battle? Will the simulator bring his challenge to life or will the exam appear to Ender as a super complicated version of Pac Man?

It feels really great to say this: we have less than a year until we find out.

Additionally, Lionsgate held a conference call with financial analysts today where Ender's Game was briefly mentioned - and a comment was made that might be a bit exciting for the fandom:

Like on Twilight, Hunger Games – and by the way, our very exciting franchise Ender’s Game as well – we constantly are focused on working with our book sales around the world. Fan engagement is always a critical part of the way we market these franchises. We’re constantly in communication with our fan base and we do that on a worldwide basis on an ongoing basis.

Even though it is pretty quiet around here now, we will take Mr. Friedman at his word and expect great and exciting things to come for the Ender's Game community as the release date draws a bit closer!

Anyone else loving the word "franchise" these days? :)

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Bracelet Giveaway Update: Now Includes SDCC 2012 Pin

Okay, so, it seems I received some incorrect information regarding the amount of postage it would take to mail these bracelets and that some of you were asked to pay extra upon arrival -- I'm really sorry about this!

Here are the correct postage rates:

USA: $1.95
International: $3.00

In order to make it up to everyone, I'd like to send out a bunch of Ender's Game Comic Con 2012 pins. If you were asked to pay upon the arrival of your bracelet, please shoot me an email (endernews@gmail.com) with your name and address and I will get you a pin in the mail ASAP. 

And to keep it fair, I'd like to also offer a pin to everyone else who's still wanting a bracelet -- until I run out!

Send me a self-addressed stamped envelope with the correct postage listed above ($1.95 if you are in the US) to the following address:

Ender News
c/o Kelly Severs
202 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
and I will send you not only a fan-made bracelet but also an Ender's Game Comic Con pin!  Read more about how to send a SASE here.

And please note: These bracelets are 100% fan made, not for sale, and are in no way affiliated with anything officially Ender's Game. They are just for fun, and hopefully something you can wear that will help attract friends and family members to the project!

Don't miss out!

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Countdown: 364 Days! The Story So Far...

Hey guys! In celebration of us now being exactly one year away from the release of Ender's Game, I thought I would put together a timeline to cover some of the most important events in the fandom and on this site since the beginning of filming back in February.

Hang on to your flash suits, it's pretty long!

February 2012: It begins! The young cast met together in New Orleans with director Gavin Hood for the first time at an Ender's Game cast party. It was a great opportunity to show off their new military haircuts:

Aramis Knight

Asa Butterfield

Also in February, many members of the cast attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. They went through the "Space Camp and Aviation Challenge programs to inspire some quality team-building before they [started] filming."

February 27th, 2012: Principal photography began at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The Ender's Game production team issued a press release with the film's synopsis, as well as listing a a new actor for the role of Stilson -- Caleb J. Thaggard as opposed to the original Brendan Meyer.

Here is the synopsis from the press release:

In the near future, a hostile alien race (Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of 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 Fleet (IF) 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. Ender easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers at Battle School. Ordained by Graff as the IF's next great hope, Ender is promoted to Command School. Once there, he's trained by Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and humankind.

March 07, 2012: Brendan Meyer announced via his Facebook page that he unfortunately had to step down from the role of Stilson due to a scheduling conflict. Actor Caleb J. Thaggard took his place.

March 21, 2012: The official Ender's Game production blog launched the first of what would be a series of 12 posts which gave fans a look behind-the-scenes of principal photography. The first picture:

Official Blog

March 22, 2012: Fans everywhere gasped in horror as they found out that the Battle School students are wearing socks under their uniforms in the film. However, as soon as the trailers start coming out and everyone sees the flash suits, I'm 100% certain costume designer Christine Bieselin Clark will be utterly forgiven. ;)

April, 2012: Producer Alex Kurtzman spoke to MTV.com about Ender's Game, praising the cast and claiming the film captures the book's "essence."

April 09, 2012: The Ender's Game release date was pushed from March 15 to November 01, 2013. 

April 18, 2012: We had our first super exciting glimpse at Ender's monitor:

Official Blog

April 26, 2012: The official production blog gave us a cool behind-the-scenes look at Gavin Hood making edits to a storyboard on the set of Ender's Game. Plus, we received a dare from producer Roberto Orci:

How much WERE we able to make out?

May, 2012: Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card visited the set and recorded a voice-over roll. Read his full report at RhinoTimes.com.

May 17, 2012: Part one of the official production blog's Q&A session was released. Topics included the film's visual influences, Graff/Ender's relationship, and Roberto Orci's favorite scene.

May 22, 2012: Representatives of many fan sites (including myself!) visited the Ender's Game set, where we received a day-long tour and were allowed to talk to the people who were working so hard on this amazing project.

Coming Soon

May 25, 2012: The official production blog revealed the insignia of the International Fleet and their second Q&A session with producer Roberto Orci.

May 31, 2012: Smart Pop Books announced that their Ender anthology, Ender's World, would include various Q&As with Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card and invited fans of the book to ask questions.

June 02, 2012: The remaining cast and crew of Ender's Game attended the wrap party at the House of Blues in New Orleans.

June 09, 2012: Principal photography wrapped on the film. TomKats catering created some fun ice sculptures (one shaped like a dragon!) for the cast and crew in New Orleans.

June 13, 2012:  We received a peak of an Ender's Game promotional poster used at the 2012 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas

June 24, 2012: Ender News released its Ender's Game cover art gallery.

July 14, 2012: Aidan from Ender News attended San Diego Comic Con and interviewed Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card. She also stopped by to visit Smart Pop Books and the Summit Booth where the super cool Mike Pierce Mireles gave us some t-shirts and a boatload of pins to give away on the site!

August 10, 2012: We found out that Ender's Game will definitely bit hitting IMAX theaters and that Lionsgate is eyeing sequels. This is the first time that the studio referred to the project as a "franchise."

September 16, 2012: Ender News introduced a new part of the site: a comprehensive book and movie directory, The I.F. Files!

October 07, 2012: Jimmy Jax Pinchak announced his holiday contest: designing a greeting card! There's still 9 days left to participate in this... and I've heard there are some pretty cool prizes!

November 01, 2012:  We reach the one-year mark - and what a ride it's been! The past 9 months have been filled with exciting events, announcements and revelations -- who knows what the next year will bring!

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Oh and guys: our friend Darian Robbins has created an Ender's Game countdown calendar to celebrate the day -- and it's free to download!

As well as featuring some of his latest artwork, it has also included birthdays of many of the cast/crew members and links to many fandom websites. We are super happy to be included!

Make sure you head over to Darian's blog and thank him for such a cool gift!

364 days to go, you guys. We've officially passed the one year mark!

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The Nets Report #4

Ender's Game Cast/Crew News and Gossip

Hey, Launchies! I hope all of our East Coast friends are staying safe and dry during Hurricane Sandy (which happens to be my mom's name; she's never felt more popular). Be smart, guys!

Viola Davis (Major Anderson)

What she's up to: Viola Davis has been all over the place lately! Last month she made an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show where she talked about one of her more recent films, Don't Back Down, a movie about two mothers trying to improve their local inner city school. Admitting that education was extremely important to her, Davis segued into the story of her friend's struggling charter school in Rhode Island (the Segway Institute) and was surprised by Shutterfly's gift of free year books and a $10,000 check in support of the school. We hope those kids are doing well!

Fashion Bomb Daily

Last Monday, Viola Davis was honored by the Chicago International Film Festival with the Career Achievement Award via Black Perspectives, "a program within the festival that recognizes films and actors from the black diaspora." (Gapers Block)

And then, just this past Thursday, Davis attended the 29th Annual Fashion Group International Night Of Stars in New York City, a night to honor achieving designers in the fashion industry.

In Ender's Game news, Viola Davis recently admitted in an interview with BlackFilm.com that she did not read the novel before beginning work on the film. Her comments:

"[I]n the book, Major Anderson is actually a male, so by the time… I just felt like this is a different character and I didn't feel like I could learn anything from reading the book as much as I could learn something from kind of studying the psychology of people who have come back from war and experience post-traumatic stress disorder and I thought that was much more valuable for me."

What do you guys think? Did you ever consider Major Anderson as someone suffering from PTSD? Does this possibly give us an insight on Anderson's character in the film?

Zimbio

Hailee Steinfeld (Petra Arkanian)

What she's up to: Hailee recently arrived back in New Orleans to begin filming on her new film Hateship, Friendship, though she admitted on Twitter that the city simply wasn't the same without the rest of her Ender's Game cast mates.

The young actress also looked lovely at Teen Vogue's 10th Anniversary Young Hollywood Party last month. Check out more photos on Zimbio!

Our favorite recent tweet: @HaileeSteinefld I'm on my way to Fairfax High School to kick off National Teen Driver Safety Week. Can't wait to start my lessons w MBDALA. #drivesafe  !!

Khylin Rhambo (Dink Meeker)

Still hard at work on his new show The First Family, Khylin recently had the opportunity to receive singing instruction from his fellow co-star and the "Empress of Soul" herself, Gladys Knight. According to TMZ, one scene required her onscreen grandchildren to sing on key and Knight stepped up to gave them a quick on-set lesson. Here they are singing "This Little Light of Mine" behind-the-scenes:



Our recent favorite tweet: @KhyRhambo the day all my Ender's game family reunites will be an epic/legendary day.

Aramis Knight (Bean)

What he's up to: Aramis seems to be attending school, as well as spending a lot of fun time with family and friends lately: including attending a Halloween party last night. His costume? We'll let you check it out yourselves:

You're welcome.

Our recent favorite tweet: @AramisKnight88 Can't wait for next Halloween. They'll have flash suit costumes.

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The Nets Report is an Ender News series dedicated to keeping the fandom up-to-date with cast news and gossip until the movie's release in November 2013. Updates every couple of weeks!

367 days to go!

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