ROTTEN TOMATOES: What's Up with the "Ender's Game" Movie? Comments

What's Up with the "Ender's Game" Movie?

by Scott Weinberg | April 19, 2007

Summary

Anyone who's read Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" will undoubtedly want to know when someone's going to make a darn movie out of it already. The property's been bouncing around Hollywood for years now, but Warner Bros. recently dropped the project into turnaround... Back to Article

(1-27 of 27 posts) | Reply

Xhrix writes:
on Apr 19 2007 02:41 AM

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I think they should consider going the CGI/Animation route with the story though, cause I don't see child actors being able to do this story justice.

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Hieremias writes:
on Apr 19 2007 05:32 AM

Oh, not animated. Don't turn this into a cartoon, it's a serious story that could be told well with decent child actors. They do exist, you just need a director that can find them and work with them. Do NOT get the director of Bridge to Terebithia.

The book does have a few pretty brutal descriptions of child-on-child violence, I wonder how they'll choose to portray that.

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ShaakTi writes:
on Apr 19 2007 05:47 AM

In reply to this comment (#862017)
I agree with Hieremias, the movie should not be reduced to a cartoon. We have all been waiting for this movie adaptation for a long, long, long time and if we have to wait a couple more years for an amazing live action ender's game movie then so be it. I really don't think the child on child violence would be that much of an issue, just watch grindhouse and see how liberal we are now with what we show on the screen.

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Karthik Selvakumar writes:
on Apr 19 2007 09:20 AM

Zack Snyder got some brutal facial expressions and agression from the child actors in '300.' Maybe Ender Game's could be a project for the upcoming director.

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Rockslide writes:
on Apr 19 2007 11:45 AM

This is also one of my favorite books, which has always had me both excited and scared to death about the movie version. Hollywood has totally destroyed so many great books. I would tell Mr. Card to hold some tight reins and make sure they create an Ender's Game movie and not Spy Kids 4: In Space.

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EmmG389 writes:
on Apr 19 2007 11:55 AM

[b]300 sucked, please don't give it to Snyder[/b]
Great book. I really don't know how it will transfer to screen though. It should be PG-13 if anything. If only Kubrick was alive. He knew how to make any book adaptation good. I think Danny Boyle should direct it, have you guys seen trailers for Sunshine? He knows how to direct actors also.

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EmmG389 writes:
on Apr 19 2007 11:56 AM

Maybe James Cameron. This book is too important to be left to an up and coming director.

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hoosier_daddy writes:
on Apr 19 2007 01:01 PM

[b]Don't be too Excited[/b]
As much credit as Card deserves for the book, I wouldn't get too worked up over the fact that he's shopping his version of the script around. Having read it some time ago (hopefully it's been heavily re-worked since then) I can honestly say it was horrendous. More of an action movie, it was completely stripped of the psychological layers that made is such a good story to begin with.

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FireflyFan4evr writes:
on Apr 19 2007 02:38 PM

In reply to this comment (#862021)
I think Danny Boyle is a great choice of a director for this, but when I saw the trailer for Sunshine it came across as a sequel to "The Core" from a few years ago... I hope it's not that bad though.

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-eternity- writes:
on Apr 19 2007 04:28 PM

In reply to this comment (#862024)
Danny Boyle is actually the perfect choice for the material. If you've seen Sunshine or Millions, you know that 1. he can do sci-fi, and 2. he knows how to get child actors to actually ACT.

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Dread writes:
on Apr 19 2007 06:18 PM

Get to it, someone!

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Sinizine writes:
on Apr 19 2007 10:52 PM

I love the book and all, but how exactly would a movie where kids essentially play an elaborate game of laser tag be interesting? It really only works in the written word.

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pinkincide writes:
on Apr 19 2007 11:51 PM

In reply to this comment (#862027)
Yeah, I agree. Sometimes you just gotta look at a story objectively and ask: is it already in it's optimum form? For Ender' Game that's a book.

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Master bateMan writes:
on Apr 20 2007 01:05 PM

[b]Everyone, relax about the acting![/b]
I'm sure Dakota Fanning is in talks for the title role as we speak!

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calth writes:
on Jun 17 2007 02:38 PM

too many levels to be wrought into a two hour movie... seriously what could be cut out of the book's story line and have it still make sense?? Just leave it as it is... or else they will be temted to make a movie-tie-in-game *shudders*

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BoliverShagnasty writes:
on Nov 01 2007 12:20 PM

This may be a story that only works in the written word, but I can't stop hoping it will be done. As for CGI, you only need to watch the new Beowolf trailer to see how it can destroy an story.
Card should really look at focusing on "Ender's Game" ONLY! If they try and add anymore information from the other books, they will have to start cutting important parts. You aren't supposed to know Bean's background.

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The_Duckling writes:
on Jan 11 2008 06:33 PM

totally agree BoliverShangnasty. when i heard that they were gunna do speaker, game and shadow in 1 movie, i had a total $hit fit. they cant do it in cgi, and there are some good child actors out there (I thought thatt Bridge to Teribithia's actors were pretty good). i just want to wait and see wat happens. i dont know about the laser tag thing tho. wit good music and choreography and making sure it doesnt get too sci-fi on us, it could be good.

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The_Duckling writes:
on Jan 11 2008 06:35 PM

bty, does any1 actually think watching chess is interesting? cuz Searching for Bobby Fischer was pretty good, and they played chess in there. a lot. so the same thing could work for the war games.

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Artful Five writes:
on Mar 05 2008 07:00 AM

I'd like to see Robert Zemeckis do this using the mocap technology he's used on "Beowulf" and "Polar Express". That says it all really: here's a guy who can do a family Christmas story AND an epic sword and sandals type film. That's what Ender's Game the movie needs, the flexibility and power of CG for battle room and space battles, the short principal photography schedule of motion capture to work with kids, and a director that knows how to do both family stuff as well as battles.
Mocap also frees you to choose any voice you want for a character designed to be perfect (e.g. Ray Winstone as Beowulf). Card should finish the screenplay and get this project to Zemeckis, let's get this movie MADE.

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Bob J. writes:
on Dec 19 2008 04:03 PM

Here's an idea: how about making Ender's Game as a Miyazaki-style anime?
He didn't exactly shy away from depicting violence. (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke anyone?)
Such a format can convey the style and emotion of this glorious book in a way that CGI just can't. (Beowulf was a disaster!)Especially if it is done with the class and budget of a Miyazaki film. These kind of first-rate anime could be the ideal medium to depict a larger-than-life book like Ender's Game.
The action sequences would be great. The emotion can be conveyed in a different way than in live action; a way more relevant to a film like this.
All in all, Ender's game as a Miyazaki-style anime could be a beautiful, long work of art that would bomb at the box office and be revered by a cult following for many years to come.

Opinions please.

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Rachel B. writes:
on Dec 22 2008 11:29 PM

Chris Nolan or Jon Favreau would both do an excellent job. They both use a combination of live action and CGI without getting carried away and neglecting the story. But if we're talking directors with previous experience with child actors, Gil Kenan did a good job on City of Ember.

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endar r. writes:
on Dec 23 2008 11:02 AM

relese it in multiple parts just like the godfather to do this book justice

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matt e. writes:
on Jan 13 2009 03:51 AM

( to the comment below)have you even read the rest of the books?
only kids could pull this roll off.

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Sean D. writes:
on Feb 09 2009 01:58 AM

They recently started putting out a TV show related to the book series, "The Sword of Truth." Ignoring the fact that it didn't turn out well, (probably due to the fact that they put it on public television.) Why not make one hour episodes without commercials for a 24 episode season. If they put it on Showtime they could get the length they need so that they don't have to leave information out and they would have a TV station that wouldn't mind showing violence. Combining, "Ender's Game," and "Ender's Shadow," would be a lot easier and with a decent budget, director, and actors could turn out really well.

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jesse p. writes:
on Apr 08 2009 07:33 AM

ive been exited to see an enders game movie come out for quite some time now. and io can waite for them to get the actors but i really think the story will do fine on its own even if it comes off as a little boring as long as the play the phycological aspects of it right and all the deceit and manipulation parts of it people should be interested unless its a jock with a 2.3 second attention span i think people should be satisfied with it. as or who should get the movie anyone should be able to do it as long as they read the book befour they start making it. i definatly think CGI is out of the question tho.

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Nayt C. writes:
on May 08 2009 02:51 PM

I think Peter Jackson should direct both Enders game and Speaker in 2 separate movies.

they both are works of genius, and Jackson / Card duo would be divine.

So if Card reads this, he should present the offer to Jackson. :)

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