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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