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THN Attend ‘Ender’s Game’ Q&A With Sir Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford & Cast

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On Sunday, myself and fellow THNer Kat Smith attended a panel event with Ghandi (Sir Ben Kingsley), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the boy in the striped pyjamas (Asa Butterfield) and the new Juliet (Hailee Steinfeld) to promote their new sci-fi film, ENDER’S GAME. They were also joined by director Gavin Hood, and producers Bob Orci and Gigi Pritzke.

ENDER’S GAME is based on Orson Scott Card’s 1977 novel and is the story of a gifted child, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), who is sent to a military school in space seventy years after Earth has been devastated by the invasion of an alien race, and could be the only hope for the human race.

We were treated to three clips from their new sci-fi film ENDER’S GAME (one of which can be found here) and then a question and answer session with the lovely stars themselves. Judging by the emotion from the stars when discussing the film, I got the impression that the film and novel both had a unique meaning for the guests. Producer Gigi Pritzke poignantly noted that the book allowed her to bond with her 13 year-old nephew, and remarked how rare this is from literature nowadays. People have said similar things about the ‘Harry Potter‘ and ‘Hunger Games‘ books, so perhaps thirty years after its first publication, this book will become better known across the world for uniting generations.

After watching three stunning clips from the movie, the incredible special effects were mentioned. Director Gavin Hood mentioned several times that he was worried he would not be able to “externalise the imagination of the book’s readers,” but was constantly reassured by his producers and cast that he had succeeded in making ENDER’S GAME visually stunning.

We had some insight into the development of the onset relationships between the cast members, with Mr. STAR WARS himself, Harrison Ford, singing the praises of young co-star Asa Butterfield, remarking on his excellence as an actor as they maintained a frosty relationship both on and off-screen. Heaping even more praise onto the youngsters, Hood described the great chemistry between Butterfield and Steinfeld, which could be felt by the audience as they jokingly discussed their zero gravity experiences (which involved a lot of sick). Hood explained that the relationship between their characters is so unique and pure, and Steinfeld added that her character is simply looking for a friend – not surprising given the context of the movie.

You could also tell how vital it was for Hood to do the book justice and get every part of the movie right, from the authenticity of the characters right through to the special effects. Harrison Ford added that the kids even received marching and behavioural training from a drill instructor always on stand-by on the set.

In the trailers you may have seen Sir Ben Kingsley’s magnificent Maori facial tattoo, which took over an hour to apply every day (this was down from two hours which it had originally been). Interestingly, he said that during make-up he gets very much ‘in the zone’; he doesn’t talk or move, he just runs through his lines in his head. We now know the secret to great acting – stay quiet during make-up.

Finally, when asked about the prospect of a sequel, producer Bob Orci replied with, “we’ll see.” They want to see how this film is received first. Although, if you are excited about ENDER’S GAME, maybe check out some of Orson Scott Card’s other books and bide your time, as I have a feeling this won’t be the last Scott Card dramatisation we’ll see!

Have a look below at a few pictures of the fantastic stars:

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ender's game

Enders Game Panel Hailee and Gavin

Enders Game Panel Hailee

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  1. Pingback: Review #45 Ender’s Game | The Story Board

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