It’s true, Ender’s Game has finally begun production with the start of principal photography. Considering this film has been attempted to be made into a film several times, it is great news to hear that it has finally made a step forward under the direction of director Gavin Hood.
According to the official press release, the production has began in New Orleans, Lousiana.
Ender’s Game is the big screen adaptation of the novel that was released in 1985 and is written by Orson Scott Card.
The press release also included an official description of the film thus far:
“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.”
The visual effects which are being overseen by co-producer Digital Domain, began filming on Monday at the Big Easy Studios in New Orleans and is scheduled to continue through June 8th.
Director, Hood, is working on the film from his own screenplay although writing duo Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orciare are producing as well even though they didn’t help with the script.
The press released some of the behind the scenes names involved in production which includes:
Costume designer Christine Bieselin Clark, who co-designed the outfits in TRON: Legacy and worked with Gavin Hood previously on X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Sean Haworth and Ben Procter, of The Thing and Transformers: Dark of Moon are on board as production designers. Also cinematographer Donald McAlpine, and Oscar nominee whose credits include Moulin Rouge!, Peter Pan, Predator, Romeo + Juliet, The Edge, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is working on the project.
Casting for the project is as follows:
- Asa Butterfield – Ender Wiggin
- Brendan Meyer – Stilson
- Harrison Ford – Colonel Hyrum Graff
- Abigail Breslin – Valentine Wiggin
- Hailee Steinfeld – Petra
- Aramis Knight – Bean
- Moises Arias – Bonzo
- Jimmy Pinchak – Peter Wiggin
- Suraj Parthasarathy – Alai
- Conor Carroll – Bernard
- Khylin Rhambo – Dink
- Brandon Soo Hoo – Fly Molo
- Ben Kingsley – Mazer Rackham
- Viola Davis – Major Anderson
Ender’s Game is set to hit theaters on March 25, 2013.
