Producer Roberto Orci Talks Ender’s Game

Here comes another sci-fi based on young adult fiction. After the huge success of “The Hunger Games” this sub-genre is now the flavour of the moment, with “Ender’s Game” entering the fray.

In case you’re wondering what the project is about, here’s the official description: “Set in Earth’s Utopian future, “Ender’s Game” is the story of a young boy, a genius strategist, who is drafted by the International Fleet to destroy the alien Formic race. The long awaited feature-film will be based on Orson Scott Card’s award-winning, seminal novel Ender’s Game.”

The film is being produced by Roberto Orci, the guy who co-wrote “Star Trek” and the “Transformers” movies. But don’t hold that against him. Today, Orci provided an update on “Ender’s Game” via the film’s official production blog. He had this to say:

“One thing I can tell you is that Gavin Hood is a gigantic Stanley Kubrick fan, and it shows. And yet, in some of the Zero G battles, things are going on that Kubrick never had a chance to tackle. The technology and advancements in film making available to us allowed us to realize a vision that is totally unique and modern while also being, as Harrison Ford calls it, one of the most emotional science fiction movies he has ever seen.”

Orci also spoke about the intense physical training the actors are currently going through to accurately capture the top fighting shape that the young soldiers from the novel are in. He elaborated: “The cast has told great stories of not only going to Space Camp, but also having to undergo a form of boot camp with a no-nonsense instructor who taught them how to march properly in unison and much more. And when they screwed up they were ordered to do push ups! They got in shape trust me. It’s painful for my self image to see so many young kids with six pack abs.”

“Ender’s Game” is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Viola Davis, Nonso Anozie, Stevie Ray Dillmore, Andrea Powell, Moises Arias, Conor Carroll, Aramis Knight, Brendan Meyer, Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak, Suraj Parthasarathy, Khylin Rhambo. It’s scheduled for release 1st November 2013.