Philotic Web

I don't know if the site is prepared for that.

At least, I hope there is a site back up before then. Just in case this isn't a false alarm.

Beware the floob.

In this case, wouldn't it be a floobie?

I've always heard this termed as Eternal September.

I've always heard this termed as Eternal September.

I suspect this "September" will not be eternal, but nonetheless unruly.

sorry for the double post....but casting calls seem to have actually gone out!
http://io9.com/ender.s-game/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

sorry for the double post....but casting calls seem to have actually gone out!
http://io9.com/ender.s-game/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Man, apparently io9 is the place to keep an eye on for Ender-related news.

There's also a lot of information to process here, assuming it's true, which I'm heavily pinching salt into. First thing I've noticed is that it implies Bean is in the same launch group as Ender.

There's also a lot of information to process here, assuming it's true, which I'm heavily pinching salt into.

So there are ten characters being cast in all, and the script pages we read seemed pretty solid. All of the book's themes, including the brutality of warfare and the need to understand your enemy, remain intact. And the "feel" seems pretty right. (Disclaimer: these may not be pages from the actual shooting script, since sometimes casting calls use earlier script drafts. And a lot can change during filming, too.)

First thing I've noticed is that it implies Bean is in the same launch group as Ender.

I noticed that too...

I am hoping that OSC is monitoring the creation of the movie and will not let Hollywood ruin this book. What I already don't like other then the fact that Ender and Bean might be in the same launch group is the way Peter is described, even though peter was cruel he still had a complex and interesting personality like all characters made by OSC and "Ender's brother is fully a psychopath in this version of the screenplay." is not a promising description.

I have a feeling Thomas Horn is going to be very very high on the list of kids for Ender or Peter (depending on how Horn has aged in the last year).

Thomas Horn in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/e ... iblyclose/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chloë Moretz for Petra or Valentine? Elle Fanning?

Joel Courtney is a possible for Peter I think, again, depends on how he's aged

even though peter was cruel he still had a complex and interesting personality like all characters made by OSC and "Ender's brother is fully a psychopath in this version of the screenplay." is not a promising description.

*Sigh* Peter was never a psychopath!! Stupid Hollywood.

This freaks me out.

This freaks me out.

I don't think I have enough words to say how much this freaks me out.

even though peter was cruel he still had a complex and interesting personality like all characters made by OSC and "Ender's brother is fully a psychopath in this version of the screenplay." is not a promising description.

*Sigh* Peter was never a psychopath!! Stupid Hollywood.

Psychopathy (/saɪˈkɒpəθi/[1][2]) is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime. Though lacking empathy and emotional depth, they often manage to pass themselves off as normal people by feigning emotions and lying about their pasts.

That sounds like Peter - at least, the Peter of Ender's Game.

I have a feeling Thomas Horn is going to be very very high on the list of kids for Ender or Peter (depending on how Horn has aged in the last year).

Thomas Horn in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/e ... iblyclose/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chloë Moretz for Petra or Valentine? Elle Fanning?

Joel Courtney is a possible for Peter I think, again, depends on how he's aged

Thomas Horn and Chloë Moretz are both going to be much too old to pass for 10 by the time filming begins - Chloë will be 15, and Thomas will be 14 or 15, in which case Valentine and Peter would be a better fit for them, but it's not like there is a dearth of characters for them to play (most of Ender's toon leaders should be older than him). If they'd started making the movie 2 years ago, he probably could have done well as Bean.

The problem with existing "good" child actors, is that most of them are right at the age where they stop looking like children. Remember that awkward phase in the middle of the Harry Potter movies where they looked WAY too old for the age they were supposed to be portraying? I think (and hope) they'll be able to find new talent that will leave us happily surprised, and probably launch a career.

Shortcuts are always taken in Hollywood so the fact that the screenplay calls for Ender and Bean to be in the same Launch group doesn't surprise or discourage me. I find the casting challenges to be more daunting than the screenplay challenges. OSC has turned down enough screenplays in the past (including his own) that I trust him to sheppard this part of the movie in the right direction. I fear the children who will be called in to act these heavy roles. One bad actor can kill or nearly kill even the greatest of movies. Just remember Star Wars I. The only child actor I've ever seen that possesed the gravitas to play a child with the mind of an adult (which Ender, Bean, Val, and Peter at the least all do) was a young Dakota Fanning in HBO's Taken.

yeah the twilight youth thing worries me... last thing we need is a sexy ender... eeeeesh

all floating in the battle room with no shirt. *shudder*

still, i would love to see the cannes presentation.

I think OSC put enough scenes (sleeping naked in barracks, getting dressed while running through the halls, and an important shower/fight scene) that if they cast this with teens they will definitely be pushing sex appeal. I hope they avoid this trap too. The last thing we need is an Ender with a six pack and five o'clock shadow. He's a small kid with a big brain. Don't screw it up, Hollywood.

I don't have the confidence in OSC that a lot of you have... When was the last time he wrote a genuinely good book? From what I've heard about the early direction of the EG movie, it's been OSC that's come up with some of the most obscure changes. Is it any surprise that the draft that's actually generating interest was written by a FILMMAKER? Yes, OSC has battled to keep the children's ages down and not have a love interest between Ender and Petra, but he's also the one who wanted to turn it into a buddy movie...

Salaam

Craig!

When was the last time he wrote a genuinely good book?

I actually really enjoyed Pathfinder, much to my surprise.

I thought Pathfinder and the Lost Gate were both really good. I can't decide which one I liked more.

I don't have the confidence in OSC that a lot of you have... When was the last time he wrote a genuinely good book? From what I've heard about the early direction of the EG movie, it's been OSC that's come up with some of the most obscure changes. Is it any surprise that the draft that's actually generating interest was written by a FILMMAKER? Yes, OSC has battled to keep the children's ages down and not have a love interest between Ender and Petra, but he's also the one who wanted to turn it into a buddy movie...

Salaam

Lost Gate, Shadow of the Giant, Magic Street are the most recent of his books that I've read. I enjoyed all of them.


Keep in mind OSC is also a playwright, so he should have stage-sense

I'm not going to lie, I haven't even FINISHED an OSC book since Ender in Exile and I only finished that because it was an Ender book... The point is, and the majority of us will agree, OSC's writing has really taken a dive. He's also written A LOT of books in a short amount of time -- coincidence? OSC, by his own account, was a failed playwright. I'm not saying he's a horrible guy or even a bad writer, but this idea of blindly putting faith into the guy is ridiculous, especially given his recent record.

Salaam

I'm not going to lie, I haven't even FINISHED an OSC book since Ender in Exile and I only finished that because it was an Ender book... The point is, and the majority of us will agree, OSC's writing has really taken a dive. He's also written A LOT of books in a short amount of time -- coincidence? OSC, by his own account, was a failed playwright. I'm not saying he's a horrible guy or even a bad writer, but this idea of blindly putting faith into the guy is ridiculous, especially given his recent record.

Salaam

Sometimes he's genius and sometimes he's not. What do you want from an author? Ender's Game was an instant classic and Empire was an epic flop. Most of his books are somewhere in between. I for one became a fan because of Pathfinder and Lost Gate and those are fairly recent. If you've lost the faith, try someone else. You can be an Ender fan without being an OSC fan.