ENDER'S GAME - Fan Questions Answered with New Set Images

Yesterday we brought you a great article from Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card detailing his first visit to the set of the film. In it he makes a point of saying that the movie being made is not his book, that this is basically Gavin Hood's retelling of the story. At the same time he loved what he saw, he says it's going to look great, and he had a positive outlook on it. He also talked about Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield in the roles of Graff and Wiggin.

The Ender's Game Blog recently opened itself up to fans for questions that producer Roberto Orci could answer, here's the invite Orci wrote a few days ago...

“I need you to be clever, Bean.  I need you to think of solutions to
problems we haven’t seen yet.”

In Dragon Army, Ender encourages input.  So do we.  That’s why we’re
opening this blog up to you, the readers.

Ask us a question about ENDER’S GAME — something you’ve been dying to know.  We’ll select our favorites (or as many as we can) from the comments section and start answering them.

Fire away!

Here's what was posted up on the site yesterday....

Valentine asks: 

As fans of the book, what is your favorite scene from the book? Do you have a different favorite scene from the movie?

I always loved the scenes within the Mind Game that Ender believes he plays for recreation in the orbiting battle school.  Part video game, part psychological test, and if you know the book, part something extraordinary that shouldn’t be given away for those who have not read the book.  As for my favorite scene from the movie, we are still filming it so I haven’t seen it yet!  

Reuben asks:

Question to Mr. Orci — How has this production differed from past (and other current) projects? I’m especially interested to know how you feel about the cast’s interactions and your feelings about the script, now that you see it ‘in action’.

Let’s see.  Well first, though I have had some experience with bringing beloved stories to the screen that had intelligent and rabid fan bases like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3, TRANSFORMERS, and STAR TREK, this is the first movie with a pre-existing fan base I have worked on that I didn’t write.  This means I that got the chance to evaluate the material merely as a fan.  Gavin’s script made me jealous, but it was also a relief that he had satisfied what I would want as a fan from a difficult adaptation.  Also, I have never worked with so many talented young actors who became friends so fast under such amazing circumstances.  Seeing Asa, who plays Ender, and Hailee, who plays Petra, floating high above the set and getting the giggles was amazing and frightening all at once.  They laughed for like twenty minutes, which as a producer on a clock eager to finish your shooting day can give you a heart attack.  But soon we all had the giggles, and the joy of it overcame the panic.  

Chris Neumann asks:

What are the visual influences for the movie? Syd Mead or Star Trek? 2001 or Armageddon? Jon Berkey or Michael Bay?

Visual influences?  One thing I can tell you is that Gavin Hood is a gigantic Stanley Kubrick fan, and it shows.  And yet, in some of the Zero G battles, things are going on that Kubrick never had a chance to tackle.  The technology and advancements in film making available to us allowed us to realize a vision that is totally unique and modern while also being, as Harrison Ford calls it, one of the most emotional science fiction movies he has ever seen.

William Harley asks:

How much time is going to be spent on developing Graff’s relationship with Ender? To me, those insights into the command level of the school really brought out the meaning of leadership and how to tackle the challenges that come up.

The relationship between Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Ender (Asa Butterfield) 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 because he has to make it clear to Ender that in the event of another alien invasion, there will be no one available to help him.  Their relationship is simultenously heartbreaking and fun.

Paul2012 asks:

Is it a movie for adults, about kids, or a kids movie? I hope for the former.

Like the book, the movie Ender’s Game is about young protagonists dealing with one of the most adult situations known to man: WAR.  We don’t soft peddle it, yet we don’t shy away from the fun of being in space and learning amazing new skills that we would all want to learn at any age.

My excitement for this film is still high, as I've been waiting for it for years! It's hard to hear that it wont be the book that Card wrote, but I still hold out for hope that it will be awesome. What do you think about the answers Orci gave to these questions? Has your excitement level risen or fallen for this movie?

The image above came with the following note...

You think your school was clique-ish?  In Battle School, you are part of an army, each represented by its own iconic symbol.  Lately, Dragon Army has come to be known as a repository of misfits and failures.  As a member of this unit, you’re supposed to live, breathe (fire?) and fight as one cohesive and selfless unit.  Success as one.  Defeat as one.  Unfortunately for Dragon Army, their reputation is the latter.

Ender will be tasked with restoring this tarnished symbol.  Will they follow him?