Ben Kinglsey is a serious actor, but a guy who also loves having fun making movies. When I spoke to him for Hugo, you could just feel his love and passion for the craft exuding from word—even when discussing his role in a “kid’s movie.” That kind of unbridled affection for performance is reason enough for me to be excited for any and every project Kingsley signs on for. When the project just happens to be an adaptation of one of the more exciting sci-fi novels of the last 25 years, that’s when my head starts spinning.
Kingsley is set to join the big screen version of Ender’s Game, the 1985 science fiction war novel penned by famed author Orson Scott Card. Card and a number of name directors and writers have been trying to bring Ender’s Game to life nearly as long as the book as been in existence, but now it’s finally happening under the guidance of producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (writers of Transformers and Star Trek) and writer/director Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Tsotsi).
Ender’s Game will also act as a reunion for Kinglsey and his Hugo co-star Asa Butterfield, who is set to star as the titular youngster, a brilliant boy recruited at a young age to help with the resistance against a warring alien race. Also in the mix is Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) in an unspecified role.
Kingsley and Butterfield’s collaboration in Hugo was a surprise and a real treat. A kid actor who can stand up to a legendary force like Kingsley is no easy task, but Butterfield pulled it off. I’m hoping it wasn’t a one-off for the fresh-faced actor, but I feel as if I can rest assured now that Kinglsey’s on board Ender’s Game. Even if they recreate a little of that magic in this new film, fans of the book and newcomers to the material will be in for something special.
The filmmakers aim to shoot Ender’s Game in February, which means we could see this one in theaters around 2013!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
