Posted on 12/06/2012 12:21:15 PM PST by EveningStar
Anyone who has read Orson Scott Card’s beloved 1985 sci-fi novel, Ender’s Game, can understand why, for the past 20 years, Hollywood has been unable to adapt the book. After all, it’s challenging enough to shoot a movie about pint-sized military recruits fighting each other in a futuristic, space-set Battle School, but it’s an even taller order to capture the novel’s complex themes about war and morality...
(Excerpt) Read more at insidemovies.ew.com ...
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One of the best books ever written. The problem is that you won’t be able to find so many young kids who have the talent to accurately portray all the characters.
That’s why they picked older kids for the roles.
Seriously though, I can't wait. I have a signed copy of the book by Mr. Card.
Harrison doesn’t look so good there. Looks bloated.
Looking forward to this one. I just hope it doesn’t bank enough for them to decide to do the other books, they stink. 1 great book with a number of atrocious sequels... hmm actually that’s perfect for Hollywood.
I read it as a short story in "Analog" magazine -- back in 1977, if I remember correctly.
The themes aren’t that complex. I liked it because it was such a straightforward pageturner. It’s one of the few novels I’ve read in one sitting. I assume the problem with getting Sneer onscreen is not its complexity but the fact that it’s incredibly violent and about a 5 year old (or so, I don’t recall perfectly). Also a lot of it takes place in zero gravity.
The themes aren’t that complex. I liked it because it was such a straightforward pageturner. It’s one of the few novels I’ve read in one sitting. I assume the problem with getting Ender onscreen is not its complexity but the fact that it’s incredibly violent and about a 5 year old (or so, I don’t recall perfectly). Also a lot of it takes place in zero gravity.
“Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops, boy!”
Will they go to Ludicrous Speed?
He’s getting on up in years; so it’s difficult to look glamourous and twenty-one now. Besides, he doesn’t have to care what he looks like; but I hope he’s ditched the earring anyway.
The book starts with Ender being around 5 and ends with him being 14 or so, so there is some difficulty there, particularly since Ender is a genius and approaches adult-level maturity as a child. It would have been easier as an animated movie.
It is violent in places, with Ender (at around 8) beating to death an older bully. Actually, he does it twice, with the first time being in kindergarten.
The short story is better (imho)—more to the point. The book felt like a short-story that was filled out to make a book.
I believe the author has made the short story available for free on his web site.
The Wiki page on the book backs you up on this - and if I remember correctly, writing the book form in 1985 allowed Card to add in the whole videogame angle. And then he updated it again in 1991, to reflect political facts (according to the Wiki - I'm willing to guess he wanted to erase references to the Soviet Union).
"Ender's Game" isn't the only Sci-Fi novel that grew out of the magazine space Off the top of my head, "A Canticle for Liebowitz" also did that.
He's playing a stressed-out military commander, who in the book also wasn't in good shape.
He’s two years older than me and he looks a helluva lot better than I do. :)
Harrison Ford was great as Han Solo. Sure, his dialogue was a little corny, but that wasn’t his fault. And he was great as Indiana Jones, at least in the first three movies. It’s been downhill ever since; now his idea of portraying a “tough guy” consists of growling and looking like he’s constipated.
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