ansible [an·si·ble] n. 1. a hypothetical communication device capable of delivering sound waves instantaneously 2. a fictional machine that allows faster than the speed of light communication (example: Commander Ender Wiggin used an ansible to communicate with his fleets instantaneously, although they were on the other side of the galaxy.)
‘Earth Afire’ Review
UK Cover
‘EARTH AFIRE’ – ORSON SCOTT CARD & AARON JOHNSTON
‘Earth Afire’ blasts onto the scene and never pretends to be anything but the rip-roaring-alien- invasion-story we have all anticipated. Arriving as the second book chronicling the First Formic War, this entry into the Enderverse shows us just what “the scouring of China” is all about.
‘Earth Afire’ continues to follow the protagonists of ‘Earth Unaware’, Victor Delgado and Lem Jukes. Victor seeks to warn humanity about the alien threat and Lem, a complicated character, follows the Formics towards Earth and continues his fight for humanity and (conveniently) for his company, Juke Ltd.
The Formic arrival and subsequent invasion are everything fans anticipate. After teasing us with a glimpse of Mazer Rackham in ‘Earth Unaware’, I’m happy to say that the young New Zealander is featured heavily in this installment. In fact, Mazer is the vehicle through which we are transported into the heart of the action, surviving first, then fighting the Formic invasion in China. During his time in China, Mazer also picks up a young Chinese companion and at one point tells him that, “Children don’t fight wars.” Oh, how things are about to change. We see this budding change when young Bingwen, a companion of both Victor and Mazer, proves himself more useful than most as he combats against the alien threat.
US Cover
‘Earth Afire’ finishes with an excellently worked cliffhanger, and I would defy anyone that reads it not to be on tenterhooks. We will have to wait for the resolution to come with the final installment of the First Formic War Trilogy, ’Earth Awakens’. All things considered, ‘Earth Afire’ by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston is a worthy addition to the ‘Ender’s Game’ story and will certainly add some meat for fans of the Formic War comic books. It is an absolute must read for fans of the Ender story everywhere.
Earth Afire will be released on June 4, 2013.
Preorder here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Disclaimer: ‘Earth Afire’ was sent for review by Orbit Books. All opinions are my own.
‘Ender’s Game’ Producers Talk Challenges With Adapting Book to Film and More!
“We have the technology to make it the grand adventure that it deserves to be.”
‘Ender’s Game’ producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurrtzman are currently out promoting their film ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness.’ In an interview with the Wall Street Journal blog, Speakeasy, the duo commented on a few of the challenges associated with the ‘Ender’s Game’ film. They also discussed how the views of the ‘Ender’s Game’ author, Orson Scott Card, may affect the film’s success. Read below:
What were some of the challenges you and director Gavin Hood faced in adapting Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” into a film?
Orci: “Ender’s Game” was a book that we both loved from teenagehood. It was published in 1985 and I think we read it in high school, maybe even earlier. The challenge with the book is it’s very internal in that a lot of the narrative that occurs is within the character’s head and the trick is, how do you dramatize that? The answer is both through having some of those internal struggles be dramatically shown as scenes, and second, we have an advantage that the book does not have, and that is actors. We have great actors who can not only say things, but play things and play reactions on their faces and actually convey a lot of the emotion of the book. Thankfully now we have the technology to make it the grand adventure that it deserves to be. We have the technology to render a Zero-G environment in a totally believable and incredible way.
Orson Scott Card has publicly expressed his disapproval of gay marriage and homosexuality. (His appointment by DC Comics to write an upcoming “Superman” issue caused controversy and eventually led an illustrator to quit.) He is a producer on the film and is very much associated with it. Do you think his views may affect how the film will be received?
Orci: I was never aware of in the book – and we’ve read it three or four times during our lifetime before we got into this movie – I never saw any sign in “Ender’s Game” of anything that offended Alex or me. The book is beautiful. It’s about tolerance, it’s about responsibility, it’s about growing up. We just tend to judge a book on its own merits. Nothing that anyone could say is going to remove our original reaction of how we perceive this beautiful book. For us, it’s just about the book.
Kurtzman: Look, obviously it’s a First Amendment issue and Mr. Card is free to express whatever point-of-view he chooses to express, and we are free to disagree with him. At this point, that’s all I really want to say about it.
Read the entire interview here and here.
The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.
‘Ender’s Game’ Casting Assistant Does Reddit AMA
Harrison Ford is Silly on Set
Alexis Allen, casting assistant for the ‘Ender’s Game’ film, has done a Reddit AMA, where she invited internet users to ask her anything. One ‘Ender’s Game’ fan asked her about what casting the ‘Ender’s Game’ movie was like. Allen responded that it was difficult finding home-schooled kids for the film, especially with only a few casting assistants on staff. She also teases that Harrison Ford liked to make the crew laugh during screen tests. Read below:
Q: I know you’re not allowed to get in to specifics.. but what was Ender’s Game like? Lots of extras? Did they get trained a lot?
A: I won’t give away any plot points or details- but it was a very arduous process. Because it filmed for months, with the same kids needed everyday, we had to find kids that were homeschooled, or willing to go into homeschooling. Then we had 2 months of prep to hold open calls and auditions, and then train the kids that were chosen to march and hold a gun properly. Luckily, we were filming at the same time and at the same place as GI Joe and Oblivion, so we had a lot of references for military techs who came and worked with us.We didn’t have a lot of extras, but the ones we had were needed almost everyday for the duration of filming, which meant they couldn’t be in school or have another job. They all has to be fitted for our wardrobe and get haircuts, and they all had to get Background checks I get NASA badges, since we filmed on the Michoud base. The minors all had to get work permits, which we had to do all of the paperwork for.Ill say the worst part about extras casting is that we usually only have 2 people in our department, and it’s often impossible to get approved to hire on more help (even at minimum wage). And then to see productions throw tens of thousands of dollars at locations and picture cars, it’s annoying, to say the least.Tl;dr lots of kids, had to be homeschooled and get basic boot camp training, shit tons of paperwork.
A: My favorite part of going to set was seeing the actors training on the wires to simulate a zero G environment. Also, in the screen tests to see how the costumes looked on camera, Harrison liked to make the crew laugh. He’d scratch his bum, pick his nose, pick out a wedgie. I loved the crew on that movie.
Follow Alexis Allen on Twitter, @AlexisRAllen. Thank you, dannydawg, for the tip! Also, we would like to thank Alexis Allen for entertaining the ‘Ender’s Game’ fandom by tweeting pictures of the casting sessions last year.
The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.
25 ‘Ender’s Game’ GIFs
Enjoy these GIFs from the ‘Ender’s Game’ trailer! We’ll be updating our Tumblr with these throughout the week: endersansible.tumblr.com
Sierra/ Affinity CEO Hints that He Thinks ‘Ender’s Game’ Will Perform Well Internationally
Cannes 2011 was a hit!
At the Cannes 2013 Film Festival, the CEO of Sierra/ Affinity, Nick Meyer, spoke about his company’s future with ‘Ender’s Game’ and other young adult franchises. He recalls how, “Launching Ender’s Game to foreign buyers at Cannes in 2011″ was a turning point for his company. He also describes how foreign rights to ‘Ender’s Game’ sold out quickly and hints that he thinks the film will perform well internationally. Read below:
Q: There are high expectations for fall’s YA adaptation Ender’s Game. How did the movie come about?
A: Gigi [Pritzker] was a partner in the company and we talked about how we could help with the foreign piece and arrange financing. OddLot and [director] Gavin Hood had developed an outstanding script, and we created a sizzle reel. We sold out in almost every foreign territory, while Summit struck a domestic deal.Q: Do you think you can replicate the wild success of Twilight or The Hunger Games? Earlier this year, Beautiful Creatures failed to gain a foothold.
A: Ender’s Game is a unique property with a legacy. It’s a book that’s been around for 20 years and it’s back on the New York Times best-seller list. Part of it is the fact that it is required reading in middle schools across the country. I don’t think people realize how well Drive, and now The Place Beyond the Pines, did internationally, where you consulted with foreign distributors on the marketing. Drive grossed $41.1 million overseas, compared with $35 million in the U.S. The Place Beyond the Pines has grossed $33.2 million globally, including nearly $15 million internationally.
Read Nick Meyer’s full interview over at The Hollywood Reporter.
The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.
Moises Arias Admits He’s a Little Like Bonzo Madrid
Scared Extras!
While dishing acting tips to Backstage, Moises Arias admitted that he’s a little like his character, Bonzo Madrid. Bonzo Madrid is Ender’s commander at Battle School. He describes how he scared some of the extras,
“I actually stayed in character the whole time I was on set. I heard the extras were scared of me. I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I was just trying to stay in the mindset. At the end they finally started talking to me and admitted to me that I had scared them.”
‘Ender’s Game’ extra @kelvharrJR tells us, “He never smiled… Until the last week.”
The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.
Sir Ben Kingsley Says ‘Ender’s Game’ Movie is Going to be ‘Spectacular’
Hasn’t Seen Footage
In a recent interview with Daily Echo, Sir Ben Kingsley (Mazer Rackham) spoke about ‘Ender’s Game.’ He admits that he has not yet seen much of the footage, but says that movie is going to be ‘spectacular.’
“I have only seen some tiny clips of it but I loved working with the director and I think it is going to be an absolutely spectacular film.”
Thanks @EnderSpeaker!
The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.
Staff Writers Wanted
Interested in joining with ‘Ender’s Ansible’ team?
We’re looking a few reliable staff writers. A staff writer needs to be 18-years-old or older, have basic grammar skills, time to check their email frequently, and a flexible enough schedule to write a 10-minute post in the middle of the day. If you meet the qualifications and you’re passionate about ‘Ender’s Game,’ send an email to webmaster[dot]endersansible[at]gmail[dot]com before Friday, May 24th.
For the application, please include:
1) Your name
2) Why you have time to hunt for news and post at least twice a day
3) Describe your English skills and any writing experience (if you have any)
4) Anything else you think we should know about you
Finally, if you’re not interested in being a staff writer, but would like to contribute in another way, send us an email describing how you want to contribute to the site.
Note: All positions are unpaid volunteer positions.
Steve Jablonsky to Score ‘Ender’s Game’
Horner Out
Despite rumors that James Horner would score ‘Ender’s Game’, this rumor is squashed. Today Summit Entertainment confirmed that American composer Steve Jablonsky will score ‘Ender’s Game.’ His credits include all four ‘Transformers’ films, ‘Battleship,’ ‘Gangster Squad,’ and several other films and video games.
The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.
UPDATED: Asa Butterfield AMA! (Now with Q&A Responses)
Any Me Anything!
As promised, Ender Wiggin actor, Asa Butterfield, is asking Reddit users to “ask me anything!” Reddit is known as the front page of the Internet. He may or may not answer certain questions depending in what he’s allowed to say about the ‘Ender’s Game’ movie. Ask away!
Enjoy!
Edit: Asa answered questions about the Bonzo/shower scene and more!
Q: Hi Asa, The Stinson and Bonzo scenes in the book they are very dark and very pivotal to the mindset of Ender, how true does the movie hold to the book for that scene?
A: Very, me, Gavin and the other actors had long discussions about those scenes. I’m sure they will do justice to the way they written in the story. And like in the book, they are pivotal to Enders journey.
Q: Before playing Ender, how much did you prepare in terms of researching the character? Also, what did you find most challenging about playing Ender?
A: Before I had even been offered the part, me and Gavin had numerous Skype sessions where we talked about character and the themes in the book. As with any adaptation, the original is a huge resource for an actor, and reading the book was no different. It gave a huge insight into the work and mind of Ender and in turn, it let me develop the character that much more.
Q: How long is the movie going to be? Were you offered the role of Ender or was there a competition for it? If the latter, who else applied and why were you chosen over them? Have you met Orson Scott Card? I figure you must have. How is he in person?
A: I haven’t seen the final cut so I have no clue as to how long it will be. There was a large amount of competition for the role, I’m not saying any name. But it was the hardest I have ever fought to get the part in a film. And yes, Orson came to the set once where I met him.
Q: I’m probably going to weep during your movie. Don’t worry; it’s not your fault. Thanks for putting my childhood hero on the screen.
A: I’m thrilled that the book meant so much to you, and I hope the film lives up to it. In answer to your question, the feeling of joining a group of people that was already so vast felt amazing. I really was like joining a family. When I first got the role, I said to my mum. ‘If there is one thing I want to accomplish by doing this, it is to make the lovers of the book happy. I don’t want it to be another Hollywood sci-fi piece of shit’. And from what I’ve seen so far, I can tell you that it is incredible.
Q: Are we gonna get naked kids beating the crap out of each other in the shower in Ender’s Game, cause that was easily 90% of the appeal of the books for me.
A: This is just my interpretation, but if they had kids marching up and down corridors naked. I’m pretty sure this would be more X rated than R rated.
Q: But are the fights anywhere near as brutal as in the book? Please say yes…
A: The fights are brutal, and very real. But I’m pretty sure we are aiming at PG-13 so bare that in mind.
The ‘Ender’s Game’ film will be released in U.S. theaters on November 1, 2013.