I'm a big fan of Sci Fi movies, and I'm a huge fan of great war movies. Sometimes, those two genres meet. It's not always with spectacular results, if I'm honest, but I still end up looking forward to movies and shows that bring them together. I'm talking about movies like Dune and Starship Troopers, and TV shows like Battlestar Galactica and Silo. This is a list dedicated to movies like that. So grab your gear and let's get into the action.

Dune

There are a lot of things that make Dune one of the best science fiction stories of all time. War is a major theme throughout the whole series and certainly something the recent movies have focused on. The politics of war and various armies across the universe feature heavily.

Ender's Game

Despite a stellar cast, including Hailee Steinfeld, Harrison Ford, and Viola Davis, and rich source material from the original novel to draw on, Ender's Game was a critical and box office disappointment, some of which is because of some controversy surrounding the book's author. However, if you're like me and enjoy this kind of movie, about the young trainees in a futuristic army, you will certainly find things to like about the movie.

Avatar

I'll be the first to say that while many love Avatar, I am not among them. That said, it's a movie that definitely belongs on this list. It's about a military mission, though the critiques of the military are a little heavy-handed, and it's one of the biggest box office draws of all time, so whether I like it or not, I'm including it.

Star Trek

This one is a little tricky, as I'm sure fans of Star Trek will be immediately noting in their heads. The United Federation of Planets, and by extension the crew of the USS Enterprise, are primarily a political organization with a mission to promote peace. That said, the ship has a military-like hierarchy, and the crew often finds themselves battling hostile elements in the galaxy. So there are heavy military overtones in every Star Trek series and movie.

Firefly

Like some others on this list, Firefly is a bit of an edge case. While most of the crew of the spaceship Serenity are ex-military, the show itself doesn't have many of the elements of a futuristic army, more a rag-tag crew of space explorers. It's as much a space western in the style of Star Wars as anything else.

Halo

You knew this one had to be here. Halo, based on the video game of the same name, ran for two seasons on Paramount+ and was a moderate success, though it never reached the same popularity as the game it was based on.

Stargate SG-1

Stargate SG-1, which was a show that was born on the heals of the movie Stargate. It ran for 10 seasons, first on Showtime and later on Syfy.

Aliens

One of the most beloved sci-fi movies of all time, Aliens has some of the coolest military scenes featuring the crew of Marines on the mission with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). One of the most iconic moments in the movie comes when the Marines all wake up from their long trip and Sgt. Apone says. "Another day in the core!"

Battlestar Galactica

The classic sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica is one of the best examples of a futuristic military, even if it's really just a small piece of what its space force used to be. Led by Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos), the military members run the ship, and by default, the last of humankind, in partnership with civilian leadership.

Starship Troopers

Are you doing your part? There may be no more obvious movie to include on this list than the cult favorite Starship Troopers. The recruiting video alone puts it near the top of the list of movies about the military in the future, to say nothing of the political overtones and satire of the rest of the movie.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 And 2

The Hunger Games didn't start with a military of the future as a key component, but it certainly ends with two militaries, both the revolutionaries and the army from The Capitol, in the final two movies of the original franchise. It's a great example of two different kinds of armies, as well.

Pacific Rim

I'm not the biggest fan of Kaiju movies, but I absolutely love Pacific Rim from director Guillermo del Toro. This is a bit of an edge case, because it's not really set in the distant future (the 2013 movie was actually set in 2020), the presence of a great military leader like Marshal Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) means it absolutely demands to be on this list. It's not like we have technology like the Mechas in the movie anyway, so it feels very futuristic.

The Terminator Franshise

Throughout the entire Terminator franchise, even when the movies aren't about the coming war between humans and machines, there are heavy military overtones, to say nothing of when we do see the actual war in some of the latter movies. The fourth movie, Terminator Salvation, is especially militaristic.

Doom

When I first saw 2005's Doom, based on the notorious video game from the '90s, I couldn't help but be reminded of Aliens in the way the futuristic Marines are portrayed as they travel to Mars to assist the UAC scientist after the attack. John "Reaper" Grimm and Sgt. Mahonin (Karl Urban and Dwyane Johnson, respectively) ooze the same kind of energy that Hicks and the other Marines in Aliens have.

Edge Of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow seems to either be revered or ignored by film fans, but include me in the former. It's such a great sci-fi war movie. Led by Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, the movie, though not set in the distant future, sees humanity's military come together to fight off invading aliens.

Star Wars

Obviously I had to include Star Wars here. Not only do we get to see the military apparatus of the Empire (and its successor) in all ten of the movies thus far released, but we also see the hierarchy of the Rebel Alliance. The scene at the end of the first movie, when Chewie doesn't get the medal that Han and Luke receive, but that he also deserves, is very much a military-looking ceremony as well.

And yeah, I will acknowledge that technically the movies are "a long time ago" and not in the future...but....c'mon.

Stargate

I'm a huge Kurt Russell fan, and while I loved Stargate when I first saw it, I did not expect it to spawn a franchise. Director and writer Roland Emmerich loves to make movies about futuristic armies, and Stargate is a perfect example of when he is at his best. It's a little cheesy, sure, but that's part of the charm of a good Emmerich popcorn flick.

Babylon 5

Set about 250 years in the future, Babylon 5 is one of those classic '90s TV shows that feels like it's adjacent to the Star Trek universe, but in this case, much more directly military-related. The titular space station is filled with both military personnel and civilians, but it was always the military plotlines that grabbed me the most.

Jupiter Ascending

2015's Jupiter Ascending, from writers and directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski, is a wild movie. It's kind of hard to explain, except to say that the protagonist, a soldier played by Channing Tatum, is part man and part...dog... is a great military character from the future.

Soldier

Kurt Russell and director Paul W. S. Anderson teamed up for 1998's Soldier, about a dystopian military project that turns orphans into killers for the military until things get really weird in the future. Yeah, it's a wild movie, and it was written by David Peoples, who also wrote Blade Runner and considered Soldier to be in the same universe. Yikes

Terra Nova

Terra Nova is a show that got canceled way too soon. It was a big-budget show that looked fantastic and told a super interesting story about a dystopian future that led humanity to open up a portal to another Earth. The military in the show, led by Commander Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang) wasn't the focus, but played a huge role. It's just too bad we didn't get to see more, as the show was canceled after just 13 episodes.

Universal Soldier

Roland Emmerich's first big-budget Hollywood movie, Universal Soldier, has a ton of the DNA that the polarizing director would be known for throughout his career. It's a pretty ridiculous, over-the-top movie about soldiers in the future, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as the primary soldiers.

SeaQuest DSV

The simplest way to describe SeaQuest DSV is to say it's Star Trek in a submarine. The cast was led by Jaws star Roy Scheider, and the show ran for three seasons in the mid-90s. It was a fun NBC show, and like Star Trek, it was exactly military, but the organization the sub crew represented was similar to the U.N. and acted in a very militaristic way. Though it took place in 2020, that was 25 years in the future when the show aired.

The Matrix Revolutions

The final Matrix movie in the original trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, is when things really got militaristic. Throughout the whole series, there were always some aspects of a futuristic military, but the series really leans in with what I would consider the weakest movie of the franchise, but still a really fun movie.

Snowpiercer

Imagine living your whole life in the back of an endless train trip as 5th-class "citizens" of the last people on Earth. That's where we find our heroes in Snowpiercer, who are finally forced to take on the train's military when the horrible conditions bring them to a breaking point.

Andromeda

Set hundreds of years in the future, Andromeda was loosely based on work from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, so as you would expect, it feels like his most famous show, but it also feels a little cheap. Like many shows about spaceships, it's not exactly military, but has a militaristic hierarchy..

The Tomorrow War

The Tomorrow War is a little tricky for this list. It's set in 2022, but it tells the story of time-traveling soldiers from the future. So it kinda counts, right? Sure, why not!

Silo

This is another tricky one, but it's such a great show, I had to include it. Common plays the head of security in Silo, and while they aren't strictly a military organization, they operate very much like one. They are also oppressive and scary, as the military is often shown to be in dystopian futures, like the one in Silo. So it works for me.

Farscape

Farscape is another example of a wild show that was born in the '90s. Though it was canceled after four seasons, cutting short the story, it had legions of fans who still love it today. The story was finally wrapped with a three-hour made-for-TV movie in 2007, called Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars.

The Chronicles of Riddick

Though The Chronicles of Riddick is actually a sequel to Pitch Black, it is far more militaristic in its style than the first movie in the series, which was more of a horror flick. Vin Diesel plays a former bounty hunter on the run from a crew of other hunters who operate very much like a military unit.

The Creator

2023's The Creator is a movie that not enough people have seen. Set in a near-ish future (2065), it stars John David Washington as Sergeant Joshua Taylor, who is part of a force helping to shut down all AI, which has turned against humanity. It's a complicated movie, but it looks amazing, and you should see it just for that.

Defiance

Dystopian futures are always a popular way for shows and movies to show what the future of the military looks like, and sometimes those shows feature rag-tag groups of veterans of a past war just trying to survive, as in Defiance. It's another show that didn't seem to get the kind of attention it deserved from the general public when it ran from 2013 to 2015 on Syfy.

Some movies are lucky enough to become a huge hit with great potential for a sequel, only for those plans to get scrapped for one reason or another. On the other hand, some movies are released with the intention of building an entire franchise, only to be met with poor box office returns, a negative reception from critics and audiences, or other circumstances that ultimately crush those dreams. Either scenario happens more often than Hollywood would like to admit, as you can see from the plentiful examples we have collected here. 

Alex Rider

Younger fans of the James Bond movies got to see what a version of 007 from their demographic would be like with author Anthony Horowitz’s “Alex Rider” series. Unfortunately, the 2006 adaptation of the first novel, Stormbreaker — starring Alex Pettyfer — was also the last of the teen spy’s big screen adventures after it earned a 36% Rotten Tomatoes score and disastrously low domestic earnings, according to Box Office Mojo.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Unmatched box office expectations and dismal critical reception for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, as well as Andrew Garfield being “let go” for his last-minute absence at a Sony event in Brazil (according to The Guardian), led to the discontinuation of the Marvel web-slinger’s second big screen franchise, which was also meant to include multiple spin-offs like a Sinister Six movie. However, there has been recent demand for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 since Garfield reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The Cat In The Hat

The Mike Myers-led The Cat in the Hat actually did make an impressive amount at the box office in 2003 and talk of a sequel was on the table. However, according to Today, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s widow, Audrey, agreed with most critics that it was not one of the best Dr. Seuss movies and, as a result, refused to allow Hollywood to make any more live-action adaptations of her husband’s work.

Chicken Little

There was a time when many of Disney’s greatest animated movies received straight-to-home-video sequels by DisneyToon Studios and 2005’s sci-fi take on Chicken Little, starring Zach Braff, was going to get the same treatment. That was until John Lasseter took over Walt Disney Animation in 2006 and, according to story artist Tod Carter’s interview with Animated Views, canceled all of DisneyToon’s intended follow-ups, ultimately bringing the sky down on Chicken Little 2.

The Chronicles Of Narnia

How an entire alternate dimension exists in a wardrobe is not as big a mystery as why we never saw more Chronicles of Narnia movies past the adaptations of the first three books in the fantasy series. In 2011, Walden Media lost the rights to author C.S. Lewis’ novels, which were passed on to Sony, whose planned Silver Chair movie got lost in development hell.

Dark Universe

Star and producer Tom Cruise’s 2017 update of The Mummy was actually one of several attempts to build an MCU-style revival of Universal’s classic monster movies called The Dark Universe. Yet, after it tanked, the studio went back to the drawing board, and it does not appear to have given up on the concept completely with ongoing projects like Ryan Gosling’s Wolfman reboot and Radio Silence’s secret monster movie.

Divergent

Some YA novel-inspired movie series die after the first or second installment, but the Divergent franchise was one movie shy of completion before the second and third films’ diminishing box office returns prompted the idea of finishing the franchise as a TV special that never happened. In 2021, producer Neil Burger told the ReelBlend podcast that he has little faith in a fourth film, which would have told the second half of the final book in Veronica Roth’s trilogy, Allegiant. 

Ender's Game

Ender’s Game is the first in a beloved coming-of-age sci-fi novel series that was brought to the big screen in 2013, but saw a bitter end following a box office performance that was not so out-of-this-world. According to The Guardian, protests of the film in response to author Orson Scott Card’s homophobic opinions may have sealed its downfall.

Eragon

Fans of Christopher Paolini’s best-selling, four-part fantasy series (The Inheritance Cycle) agreed with most critics that the 2006 adaptation of the first book, Eragon, was a derivative mess. Following the poor reception and underwhelming domestic box office, all planned sequels were scrapped, but Variety reported in 2022 that a Disney+ TV series reboot is in development. 

Fantastic Four (2015)

Tim Story’s Fantastic Four movies from the early 2000s were not widely beloved by any stretch, but they look like Avengers: Endgame compared to the critical and commercial reception of Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot. Forbes reported in November of that year that a follow-up to the behind-the-scenes-drama-ridden comic book movie set for summer 2017 was taken off of Fox’s release schedule, paving the way for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four movie from director Matt Shakman.

Forrest Gump

Director Robert Zemeckis’ Best Picture Oscar winner from 1994 stands just fine on its own, but we almost saw more of Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump. In 2008, Eric Roth told SlashFilm that he submitted a screenplay for Gump &. Co. — based on author Winston Groom’s sequel novel — the night before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, which convinced him, Zemeckis, and Hanks that the material was no longer relevant.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

While proud of his 2011 version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, according to EW, director David Fincher still thinks of it as a “swing and a miss,” given its underwhelming earnings killed plans for two sequels. Sony’s next English-language Lisbeth Salander movie was a 2018 adaptation of David Lagercrantz’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web, but at least the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy could be fully realized for Swedish cinema. 

Green Lantern

Before finding a comic book movie sweet spot with 2016’s Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds starred in one of the biggest critical and commercial failures in DC movie history, Green Lantern. Sinestro actor Mark Strong later revealed he was bummed to learn his villainous turn in the post-credits sequence would amount to nothing when Warner Bros. scrapped plans for a trilogy, as ScreenRant recalls.

Hairspray

The beloved 2007 adaptation of Hairspray, the stage musical based on John Waters’ 1988 comedy, was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but, as director Adam Shankman revealed to the U.K. Press Association in 2010, New Line Cinema pulled the plug on Hairspray 2: White Lipstick. Years later, Waters revealed to Variety (via X) that he had written another sequel for HBO that was not picked up either.

His Dark Materials

Before the popular fantasy novel trilogy, His Dark Materials became a hit HBO show, it almost became a film trilogy before New Line Cinema canceled its plans after The Golden Compass’ 2007 release. When speaking to the Evening Standard (via The Guardian), star Sam Elliot blamed the Catholic Church’s criticism of author Philip Pullman's anti-religious stance, while the film’s 42% RT score and underwhelming domestic earnings could have also contributed.

John Carter

While now regarded as one of Taylor Kitsch’s best movies, 2012’s underrated adventure, John Carter, was a failure with critics and audiences at the time, leading to the planned trilogy’s failure to launch. As Collider reported, director Andrew Stanton later revealed his sequels to the adaptation of A Princess of Mars would be called Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth

Despite Dwayne Johnson’s reputation for giving franchises a boost, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island — his 2012 sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth — was not quite the success he hoped for. As the actor personally confirmed in 2018 on X (then still called Twitter), he had no active plans for a follow-up, which would have taken inspiration from another Jules Verne novel called, From the Earth to the Moon.

Jumper

One of the most famous (or infamous) Hayden Christensen movies outside of Star Wars turned out to be a lesson in not jumping ahead of yourself. As SyFy recalls, Jumper was conceived as a trilogy. However, after not quite making the money it hoped for and getting torn apart by critics, the 2008 sci-fi thriller was forced to stand alone.

King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword

Guy Ritchie’s attempt at a fantasy epic was meant to be the first installment in a shared universe of adventures taking place in Camelot. Unfortunately, as THR recalls, the Charlie Hunnam-led King Arthur Legend of the Sword was one of the biggest bombs of the 2017 summer, both critically and commercially.

The Last Airbender

Because it is often cited as M. Night Shyamalan’s worst movie (let alone an all-time stinker), there are likely quite a few moviegoers relieved that his plans to follow up The Last Airbender — as he described to MTV News — never came to be. Fans of Nickelodeon’s original animated series who are still curious to see the story retold to completion in live-action will get the chance when Netflix’s upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender reboot premieres.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

There were five books in Rick Riordan’s fantasy novel series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, when the first adaptation — 2010’s The Lightning Thief — hit theaters. However, only two movies were made in total, due to even more diminishing returns, critically and commercially, with 2013’s Sea of Monsters. Thankfully, it appears that Disney+’s upcoming Percy Jackson TV show will be more faithful to the now seven books of source material.

Power Rangers

Dean Israelite shared with EW that Saban had a six-movie arc in mind before he was officially brought on to helm the 2017 Power Rangers reboot. Forbes would report later that the chance of those five sequels was highly unlikely. However, that does not mean we have seen the last of these young, costumed defenders of justice… just not this version of them.  

Sahara

Director Breck Eisner shared in 2005 that he felt good about his chances to helm a Sahara sequel, which was already in active development at the time. Unfortunately, the Matthew McConaughey-led action flick suffered underwhelming box office returns and, according to Den of Geek, author Clive Cussler’s lawsuit against Paramount for using a script without his approval, which has since kept Dirk Pitt from having more big-screen adventures.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

According to Variety, Paramount and Nickelodeon Films hoped author Lemony Snicket’s (née Daniel Handler) popular YA saga, A Series of Unfortunate Events, could be their answer to Harry Potter. However, no follow-ups to the 2004 film — based on the first three books — ever materialized. Eventually, the Baudelaires’ 13-volume story was adapted into a Netflix original series, which proved to be a more fitting translation of the source material anyway.

Valerian

The French comic that inspired popular sci-fi movies like Star Wars finally came to the big screen with 2017’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Unfortunately, director Luc Besson’s passion project did not break even at the box office making his hope for a sequel seem like a lost cause at this point. 

City Of Ember

Director Gil Kenan’s 2008 adaptation of Jeanne DuPrau’s The City of Ember — the first in a series of YA dystopian novels — was met with mixed reviews, but was also a box office disaster. Thus, the chance for a sequel — which stars Saoirse Ronan and Tim Robbins told iO9 they would open to return for — went out like a light.

Prince Of Persia

As ScreenRant recalls, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time actually became the all-time highest-grossing video game movie in 2010 with more than $336 million worldwide. However, the earnings were unmatched by the $200 million budget and additional marketing costs. That, as well as poor reviews and criticisms of white-washing, sunk Disney’s original plans for Jake Gyllenhaal (who learned a lot from working on the adventure film) to lead a Pirates of the Caribbean-style franchise.

I Am Number Four

Alex Pettyfer’s second attempt at leading a YA adaptation after Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker was the sci-fi adventure, I Am Number Four, which made only $55 million domestically on a budget between $50-60 million. It was also not well received by critics or audiences, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Thus, as screenwriter Marti Noxon told Collider (via Contact Music), plans to adapt the book’s sequel, The Power of Six, were shelved.

Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World

It is surprising enough that Gladiator is getting a sequel, but to learn that there was talk of turning another Russell Crowe-led period epic into a franchise from ScreenRant is equally amusing. The Oscar-nominated Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World did not make quite enough money in 2003 to warrant a follow-up. But, according to Deadline, a prequel has been in the works since 2021.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2010s)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise continued on the big screen with 2023’s animated Mutant Mayhem, but there was hope to see it continue in live-action in the 2010s. Producer Andrew Ford explained to Collider that the underperformance of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows killed chances for more of the Michael Bay-produced series.

When reviewing these stories, two important lessons come to mind: sometimes, it pays to start things off thinking small and some good things are best left alone.

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As time goes by, a new era of actors and actresses always make their way into our hearts with some of their best films and television shows. One of those actresses as of late has been Hailee Steinfeld, a young woman who has done so much in her career that she is in some of the best movies on Netflix and the best movies on Amazon.

From her breakout role in True Grit, to her dip into action movies with Ender’s Game, Hailee Steinfeld has done so much in the world of acting, and will only continue to do so when Hawkeye premieres on Disney+ soon. However, since we have a bit of a way to go until that Marvel series hits the streaming platform, here are some of the best Hailee Steinfeld movies and TV shows, so far, that you can watch right now.

True Grit (Cinemax Go)

In this western drama, True Grit tells the story of a stubborn teenager, who enlists the aid of a U.S. Marshal to track down the man that murdered her father, a man with “true grit.”

This is actually the movie that brought a much younger Hailee Steinfeld to stardom, and for which she received an Academy Award nomination. The story is full of thrills and your typical western plots that happen, but the performances are really what make this one of Hailee Steinfeld’s best. Do you have the “true grit” to watch it?

Stream True Grit on Cinemax Go.

Rent True Grit on Amazon.

3 Days To Kill (Netflix)

When a spy finds out that he is dying from a terminal disease, he decides to give up his dangerous life to spend time with his family, and his estranged daughter, in 3 Days To Kill. However, circumstances force him back into the high-stakes job he had for years.

While the action in this is great if you’re into action movies and thrillers, what really makes this one of Steinfeld’s best films is the relationship that grows between her and her character's father (played by Kevin Costner) in the film. Despite the horrible situation they are in, there’s still somehow hope that some sort of bond can be found between the two after years and years of secrets.

Stream 3 Days To Kill on Netflix.

Rent 3 Days To Kill on Amazon.

Romeo And Juliet (Amazon Prime)

I mean, we already have so many adaptations of this classic Shakespeare tale, but why not another? In Romeo and Juliet, we follow the classic story of forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet, and their plight to try and achieve the love that they want with all their hearts.

I feel like there’s not a lot I need to say to convince you to watch Romeo and Juliet. We all know the story and how it turns out, considering how famous it is, but there’s always room for another version. While the film isn’t the best adaptation out there, in my opinion, I feel that Hailee Steinfeld does well with the story she is given and brings a certain new light to Juliet, so give it a shot if you haven’t seen it yet.

Stream Romeo and Juliet on Amazon Prime.

Rent Romeo and Juliet on Apple TV.

Begin Again (Tubi)

Hailee Steinfeld’s singing skills are amazing. In Begin Again, we follow the story of Gretta, a young woman who, with her college sweetheart, both write songs. Her boyfriend, Dave, gets a big-time label deal, but when his fame begins to swell, he begins to stray, leaving her all alone.

I know that the premise makes this sound like it’s going to be a depressing musical, but I promise you, it’s anything but. The comedy mixed in with the music really brings a smile to your face, paired with great performances from an all-around awesome cast. Hailee Steinfeld and Kiera Knightly have a wonderful duet together, and their voices mold in harmony perfectly. Musicals may not be everyone’s thing, but they are surely mine, and you should watch it if they are your thing, too.

Stream Begin Again on Tubi.

Rent Begin Again on Amazon.

Ender’s Game (Pluto TV)

Ender’s Game follows the story of a young boy named Ender Wiggin, who is sent off to this training academy titled Battle School, which is located above the orbit of Earth. There, he is taught how to battle against a vast alien race, known as “Formics.”

See, the thing is, I’ve always enjoyed this adaptation of the novel compared to some other reviewers out there of the film. I think it’s just because I really liked the cast that they had. Do I wish that Ender’s Game could have been better? As a fan of the book, of course I do. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the one adaptation that we do have. Hailee Steinfeld works well as Petra Arkanian, and how can you not like the actors she works with? Harrison Ford? Viola Davis? Ben Kingsley? The list just goes on and on.

Stream Ender’s Game on Pluto TV.

Rent Ender’s Game on Amazon.

Dickinson (Apple TV+)

If you ever wondered if Hailee Steinfeld was funny, look no further than the Apple TV+ original, Dickinson. In this comedy, Steinfeld stars as Emily Dickinson, the famous author, and we get to explore what it was like back then with the constraints of society, gender, and family from her perspective, but all with a modern point of view.

As someone who has watched both seasons of this show, I truly can’t see anyone else playing Emily Dickinson besides Hailee Steinfeld. She’s able to still make Dickinson this prim and proper aspiring poet while also giving her that attitude and fun that makes her such a likable character. Plus, the cast of Dickinson is one to remember, with plenty of familiar faces, such as Ella Hunt, Jane Krakowski, and more. I, for one, can’t wait until Season 3 of Dickinson.

Stream Dickinson on Apple TV+.

Bumblebee (Paramount+)

With another dip into the action world, Hailee Steinfeld decided to join the Transformers universe with Bumblebee. In this film, we get to see the origin story of the famous transformer from the series, and how he forms a bond with a teenage girl, named Charlie Watson.

Look, I’m not even a huge Transformers fan, but Bumblebee is one of the best I’ve seen so far. There’s something so sincere about Steinfeld’s character and Bumblebee, played by Dylan O’ Brien. Their relationship feels super believable, even it’s literally just a human and a CGI robot. They work so well together. But, because this is a Transformers film, there’s also plenty of action and explosions, too, so if you’re a fan of that, this is your film to watch.

Stream Bumblebee on Paramount+.

Rent Bumblebee on Amazon.

The Edge of Seventeen (Amazon Rental)

This is one of my absolute favorites from Hailee Steinfeld. In The Edge of Seventeen, a high school junior living near the suburbs of Portland tells her school teacher that she is planning to commit suicide, narrating her life so far, and how it has led up to this moment.

Again, I know this premise sounds like it’s going to be depressing, but my God, it’s the complete opposite! Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson, who plays her teacher in The Edge of Seventeen, are absolute perfection together. They have wonderful chemistry and honestly, I hope that they get to work together in way more films after this because the pairing is awesome. Coming-of-age films are always there to teach you lessons and (usually) make you laugh, and that’s exactly what The Edge of Seventeen does.

Rent The Edge of Seventeen on Amazon.

Pitch Perfect 2 (Amazon Rental)

This is just me finding ways to listen to Hailee Steinfeld’s wonderful voice again. In Pitch Perfect 2, the Barden Bellas are back and looking for their next big competition after winning Nationals, which means competing in a worldwide a capella competition, trying to beat out a German group.

Steinfeld’s character joins as a newbie in the group, and wow oh wow is she fantastic. Not only was Pitch Perfect 2 a great way to show off her comedic skills, but her voice is also absolutely amazing and molds so well with the rest of the Barden Bellas. Her version of “Flashlight” is one that I can listen to on a daily basis and deserves so much more recognition. The Pitch Perfect movies are fun, regardless, with the amazing Pitch Perfect cast, but the second one will always have a special place in my heart.

Rent Pitch Perfect 2 on Amazon.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

As the last on this list, this is most certainly not the least. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse tells the origin story of Miles Morales, another one of the many versions of Spider-Man, and how he starts to come in contact with several other Spider-People from several other universes, known as the “Spider-Verse.”

The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film for a reason. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is amazing in every aspect, from the soundtrack to the animation, and the voice acting to the plot, you’ll find something to love about this film. Hailee Steinfeld plays Gwen Stacy, otherwise known as Spider-Woman, and her voice suits the character perfectly. For Into the Spider-Verse 2, she's back, and that was the best decision. No question. Please, if you haven’t watched this film, go rent it now and watch it.

Rent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Amazon.

With all these 2021 movies coming out, I need to double-check to see if Hailee Steinfeld is going to be in any of them. Regardless, there’s no denying that this young actress has done so much in her career thus far – and I can only imagine how much more she is going to do.

The incomparable Viola Davis is definitely worth her salt. When you see Viola Davis movies, you just know you’re probably going to have to whip out the hankies. And that’s because whether it’s on the big screen, the little screen, or even on the stage, Viola Davis always gives a powerhouse performance, no matter what. The first black woman to win the Triple Crown of Acting (that would be an Academy Award, an Emmy, AND a Tony), Viola Davis is in a league of her own.

But what are her very best performances? You know, I’ve done this for Idris Elba, Jamie Foxx, and Forest Whitaker, but this might be the hardest ranking yet. So, what are her best performances? Well, you’re about to find out, and I guess I will, too, since I’m still deciding even right now. There are just too many fantastic performances to pick to just narrow it down to 1!

10. Won’t Back Down (Nona Alberts)

Teacher movies are typically pro-education system, and pro-teacher. Well, Won’t Back Down is definitely the latter, but certainly not the former, as it’s a film that goes after the teacher unions. Starring Viola Davis and also Maggie Gyllenhaal as two mothers who are upset with the local school system, Won’t Back Down is the kind of film that will likely make you either pump your fist in agreement or shake your head in disagreement. It all depends on your stance on unions.

As a teacher myself, I kind of dislike the messaging of this movie, but I can’t deny Viola Davis her perfect performance as a fed-up mother who is at her wit’s end with the failing school system in her neighborhood. Through every scene, Viola Davis just seems tired. But throughout the film, you get a sense of hope when she and Gyllenhaal’s character form their own school. It’s a great performance in an otherwise so-so movie.

9. Suicide Squad (Amanda Waller)

The DC movie, Suicide Squad, is about a league of supervillains who are hired to prevent the end of the world. It stars Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto, but Viola Davis steals the show as Amanda Waller, who handpicks her villains and gives them orders. I’ll tell you. Viola Davis is one bad mother—shut your mouth! I’m just talking about Viola Davis!

Honestly, I think Suicide Squad is kind of a disaster. It’s super corny and quite possibly has the worst Joker ever put to film with Jared Leto. But Viola Davis still delivers a home run performance as Amanda Waller. She’s tough, she’s stern, and she truly makes you believe that somebody like Deadshot or Killer Croc would actually take orders from her. It’s great acting from Viola Davis, sure, but everything else around her is awful. That’s why it’s at this place on the list.

8. Ender’s Game (Major Gwen Anderson)

Viola Davis is like, a serious actor, which is why it’s so cool that she does movies like Suicide Squad and the sci-fi flick, Ender’s Game. In the movie based on the famous novel, we learn about a boy named Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who’s a regular savant when it comes to modern-day warfare. Also starring Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford, Viola Davis’s role as Major Gwen Anderson isn’t huge, but it’s memorable enough that she fits in right alongside the two main leads.

Harrison Ford, as always, is his gruff self as Colonel Hyrum Graff. But Viola Davis, as his second-in-command, shows toughness but also heart, as she feels for the children who are being groomed to be warriors before adulthood. It’s a tough balancing act to walk—steeliness and compassion—but if anybody can pull it off, it’s Viola Davis, and she does so! With aplomb.

7. Get On Up (Susie Brown)

RIP, Chadwick Boseman. Get On Up, which is the biopic of James Brown, is pretty much the Chadwick Boseman show from start to finish. The movie jumps back and forth in James Brown’s life, from his poor upbringing to his superstardom. And Chadwick is great in the role. But if there’s one performance I keep going back to, it’s Viola Davis as Susie Brown, James Brown’s mother.

Susie Brown is not a great person. In fact, she admits herself that she never wanted to be a mother. And you can see on her face that’s she’s conflicted about this when her son reaches superstardom, struggling to be what she knows she’s supposed to be, but also what she knows she’s not, which is a good mother. Most actors couldn’t pull off making you feel both sorry for a character like this, and also angry, but this is Viola Davis we’re talking about here. Of course she could pull it off. She could probably do this role in her sleep if she wanted to.

6. Prisoners (Nancy Birch)

Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners is a depressing and distressing film. It’s about kidnapped kids, and if there’s anything that scared me more than anything else growing up (besides Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker) it was the idea of being kidnapped. This story deals with the parents though, and it stars Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, and Viola Davis.

Hugh Jackman stars, but Viola Davis is electric as a grieving mother who shows every single range of emotion in this role. She’s happy, distressed, terrified, grief-stricken, and finally, sadly enough, accepting of what she thinks must have happened to her child. Viola Davis is probably the greatest crier in the business, and those tears feel earned in this staggering performance.

5. The Help (Aibileen Clark)

Yes, I’m well aware that Viola Davis herself doesn’t like her role in this movie, which is about Black maids who work for racist socialites, and the white writer who tells their story, but I like it. It’s an enjoyable enough film just like Green Book is an enjoyable enough film. But I do understand why Viola Davis isn’t fond of it since it does kind of have that white savior mentality going for it with Emma Stone’s writer character.

But Viola Davis is still really great in the movie as Aibileen Clark. She and Octavia Spencer are compelling throughout, and Viola Davis gives one of her very best performances when she’s talking about her son. So dislike the movie, sure, but you just can’t hate on Viola Davis’s role in it. She killed it.

4. How To Get Away With Murder (Annalise Keating)

Playing a law professor isn’t easy. You not only have to sound like you understand all the legalese you’re spouting, but you also have to take on the role as a mentor to law students. Add in a murder plot, and you have acting gymnastics that’s probably the equivalent of doing backflips while catching chainsaws at the same time. Thankfully, Shonda Rhimes got Viola Davis for the job as Annalise Keating, so everything turned out fine.

Playing Annalise for 6 seasons, Viola Davis again found herself going through a wide range of emotions, including guilt and ultimately addiction. How to Get Away with Murder, while it was on, was like getting a whole buffet of acting from Ms. Davis. Is it little wonder that she was the first black woman ever to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series? Well deserved, indeed.

3. Widows (Veronica Rawlings)

Widows’ Veronica Rawlings is like Amanda Waller 2.0. In this Steve McQueen heist thriller, Viola Davis is certifiably badass as a widow who endeavors to pull off a heist with three other women after the deaths of their husbands.

What can I say about Viola Davis in Widows? I love when Viola Davis is crying and getting all emotional over the loss of somebody important to her. But do you know what I love even more? When Viola Davis is freaking pissed! Viola Davis doesn’t allow anything to get in her way in this movie and she’s a force of nature. Not only that, but she gets to fire a gun! Yep, that’s my Viola!

2. Doubt (Mrs. Miller)

Based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning play of the same name, Doubt is like an acting-lover’s dream come true. It stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a priest, Meryl Streep as a suspicious nun, Amy Adams as a sister at a school, and Viola Davis as a distraught mother who is willing to turn a blind eye to possible sexual abuse of her child if it means that he can stay in the Catholic school he is attending.

I mean, wow, just wow. Viola Davis isn’t in the film all that long, but I will always remember her scene with Meryl Streep when she’s pouring out her heart about her son and her knowledge of what is likely going on between her child and a priest. It’s such a difficult role to pull off, but like Viola Davis’s role as the mother of James Brown in Get on Up, Viola Davis proves she’s more than capable. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, and even though she lost, I definitely think she deserved the win.

1. Fences (Rose Lee Maxson)

I might be a little biased with my #1 Viola Davis performance since August Wilson’s Fences is my favorite play. But hey, Viola Davis won her only Oscar (a crime!) for her role as Rose Lee Maxson, garnering a Best Supporting Actress trophy for her performance. Fences is about a harsh man who was born too early to reap the benefits of his baseball dreams, and everybody else who has to share his misery with him. Viola Davis plays his wife, and she sticks by him, even though he’s not the best husband or the best father. But you never feel sorry for her. You can tell she’s making the choices she feels are best for her and her family.

This is Viola Davis’s strongest performance in my opinion because you can tell she’s a secondary character, but depending on how you watch it, she really could be the protagonist of the movie. She has her own ups and downs and triumphs and miseries, and you come to love her compassion and her ability to forgive the unforgivable. Viola Davis plays strong, and yet vulnerable characters all the time, but this is the one that hits closest to the heart.

And those are Viola Davis’s best performances. As mentioned up top, it’s really hard for me to decide which is truly her best role (I was very close to putting her role in Doubt at number 1). But what’s most important to remember is that every Viola Davis performance is magnificent, and we’re lucky to have her as an actress.

This poll is no longer available.

Everybody loves sci-fi. Even people who think they hate the genre often actually love it. Most superhero movies, like Spider-Man? Sci-fi. Movies about robots taking over like The Terminator series? Sci-fi. Heck, even romantic stories like The Time Traveler’s Wife borrow elements from science-fiction. It’s all just a matter of whether it’s “hard sci-fi” where accurate science is very important (Think 2001: A Space Odyssey), or “soft sci-fi” where it's not as important. And when it comes to soft-fi books, the one that most people turn to is Frank Herbert’s Dune.

But Dune’s not the only major sci-fi work that definitely lives up to the hype! Now, as a sci-fi reader, there are plenty of more obscure books I could lead you to (City by Clifford Simak? A Maze of Death by Philip K. Dick? Planetside by Michael Mammay?), but I didn’t want to send you too deep down the wormhole and figured that I would give you a crash course on some of the more famous sci-fi books. So, if you’re ready, let us boldly go into the unknown.

Dune - Frank Herbert

There are quite a few books in the Dune saga (a few written by its original author, Frank Herbert, and a few written by author authors, like his son). But when people mention Dune, they're usually referring to the first novel. It’s the story of a young son of a Duke named Paul Atreides (who later becomes Paul Maud’Dib). His family goes to a treacherous planet called Arrakis, which is inhabited by giant sandworms and is apparently the only source in the universe for the spice, which is a drug that allows people to be better and stronger. There’s more to the story—it goes deep into lore and politics—but some people like to call it “Star Wars for adults”. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.

The film famously had the 1984 adaptation by David Lynch, which has its fans, but that I personally think is terrible. And then you have the great documentary, Jodorowksy’s Dune, about the Dune movie that was never made. There was also the Frank Herbert’s Dune miniseries that was pretty close to the book, but to a fault since it kept in a lot of the boring parts, too. But there’s hope, since Arrival/Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuves is helming the next version. And if he can’t do it, then I honestly don’t know who can. We’ll see soon enough, I suppose.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

Speaking of Blade Runner, did you know that the title “Blade Runner” has absolutely nothing to do with the original Philip K. Dick story, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Seriously. The title came from another story, but it was such an arresting name that the movie got that title. Strange. Anywho, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? does have a similar story in that it’s about a bounty hunter who tracks down androids and “retires” them. But there’s also a whole subplot in there about endangered animals, and Deckard actually wants to make enough money to buy a living animal. So yeah… similar but different. Also, it’s not suggested in the book that Deckard may himself be an android. That’s more like fan-fiction.

As mentioned, there's the famous Ridley Scott adaptation with Harrison Ford (which I don’t like), and a sort of sequel to that movie called Blade Runner: 2049, which I do like. See both. Most people like the Ridley Scott movie.

Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game has gotten downgraded quite a bit over the years because of its author, Orson Scott Card, due to his stance against gay marriage. But it’s still a great book, nonetheless. It concerns a prodigy named Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who is part of a new breed of children soldiers who are being trained to fight aliens. They are given games to play to simulate real combat, but the “games” aren’t exactly what they seem.

Ender's Game was made into a decent movie starring Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield. I obviously recommend the book as it definitely lives up to the hype, but I also recommend the movie. It’s faithful enough.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Most people compare Brave New World to the book, 1984, but I honestly much prefer the former. It’s also a dystopian society, but much more depressing. The setting for Brave New World is in the future where society cherishes science and efficiency above all, with individuality and emotion being deprioritized. The story almost feels like a dream with all the “sleep learning” and talk of the drug soma, which is a Prozac of sorts. It has one of the most shocking endings I’ve ever read, and I still think of it to this day.

There was a 1980 television film version, and also a 1998 television movie starring Leonard Nimoy and Law and Order: SVU’s Peter Gallagher. I haven’t seen either, but I hear the 1998 is “loosely” adapted. And at one time, Ridley Scott wanted to make an adaptation, but it never got off the ground.

Foundation - Isaac Asimov

Famed author, Isaac Asimov, is probably best known today for his three laws of robotics. But his masterwork is probably the Foundation series, which consists of seven books. I actually recommend you read the whole series, but the first book concerns a mathematician named Hari Seldon who is humanity’s only hope now that Galactic Empire has seen its final days. Using the power of math and what he calls “psychohistory,” he determines that there needs to be a plan once the Empire falls, and he passes down his knowledge and foresight to scientists across the galaxy to create a new (wait for it) foundation for new life to begin.

New Line Cinema was going to make movies based in the Foundation series, but that seems to have fallen through. Then, HBO acquired the rights to it, but that seems to have fallen through, too. Now, it looks like it’s Apple’s turn. We’ll see how that goes.

Slaughterhouse-Five-Kurt Vonnegut

The book that got me to read every book ever written by Kurt Vonnegut, the story concerns one Billy Pilgrim who has managed to become “unstuck in time.” He’s traveling all over, from Dresden before the terrible bombing, to a planet called Tralfamadore. It deals with Vonnegut’s own trauma of being in World War 2, and is probably the book most people have read of his since it’s usually required reading in high school.

There was a 1972 movie made of Slaughterhouse-Five that is really dated and not very good. I recommend that you read the book, but not to see the movie. Not unless you’re super curious.

Now, I also wanted to talk about Logan’s Run, Never Let Me Go, and Fantastic Voyage, which are all really great books that were also made into movies, but I thought that this list was sufficient enough. If there are any other famous sci-fi books you love, mention them in the comments.

DC’s alliance of bad people who do good are returning to the big screen in 2021 with The Suicide Squad. However, this follow-up is apparently not a sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad, nor technically a reboot, but, as director James Gunn calls it, “It is what it is.” We are just going to assume that is code for, “We tried it again.”

More frequently than Hollywood would like to admit, potential franchise vehicles often end up ruining the chance of a sequel on the first strike, due to poor critical reception, embarrassingly low box office returns, or both. However, I believe that any hopeful film franchise deserves a second (or even third) chance, even these six notorious franchise-killers.

The Dark Tower

Stephen King’s highly acclaimed novel series following a lone gunslinger’s mysterious quest through an apocalyptic wasteland may never see the adaptation fans believe it deserves. The 2017 theatrical film starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey was labeled as an uneven mess by critics, disowned by King fans for numerous differences from the books, and fell about $10 million short of earning back its $60 million budget, officially putting a stop to plans for a TV-series spin-off.

The idea of making a saga as expansive as The Dark Tower into a TV series is definitely the right one, and almost happened on Amazon Prime until they optioned not to move forward with it. If it ever does happen, however, it must properly honor the source material this time. Stephen King keeps the readers on their toes consistently throughout the series by keeping many of its key plot elements shrouded in mystery before an engaging reveal, something the movie was criminally ignorant of.

Ender’s Game

Orson Scott Card’s tale of a boy genius’ fight to defend humanity from a malevolent alien race was adapted into a feature film in 2013, intended to be the first of a series. However, budget constraints, a boycott of the film over the book author, and unimpressive box office returns prevented Ender’s Game from leveling up.

Like The Dark Tower, there was talk at one time of turning Ender’s Game into a TV series which, also like The Dark Tower, would be the best way to adapt Orson Scott Card’s saga. The first of the 16-novel series actually chronicles the protagonist’s aging from six to adulthood, and it might be a good idea to stick with that timeline over a multi-episode arc, instead of causing an emotional disconnect to the character by keeping him the same age throughout and speeding up the urgency for battle to reflect that decision.

Eragon

In yet another instance of a popular novel failing to achieve the same success onscreen, Eragon, Christopher Paolini’s story of a farm boy who becomes a hero to his homeland after finding a dragon egg, is actually the first in a series of four books. Unfortunately, the critical and commercial misfire that its cinematic adaptation came to be ensured that the following three installments would never make it to celluloid.

Christopher Paolini’s fantasy series, The Inheritance Cycle, still earns international acclaim, so perhaps if Disney (who now own the rights to Eragon following the merger with Fox) wanted to hit the reset button, they should hire an accomplished filmmaker to direct and not a first-timer known just for visual effects. Not to mention, moviegoers would probably be willing to endure a two-hours-plus film based on a 509-page book if it means not cutting corners on telling a complete story.

Green Lantern

Few films have remained relevant by the pure, incessant hatred flung at them long after their release like Ryan Reynolds’ second ill-fated attempt at comic book movie stardom, Green Lantern. Despite earning back its budget in international box office returns, critics and audiences both agreed that the DC hero’s big screen debut was an overtly CGI-heavy assault to the eyes, ears, and brain.

For a reboot of Green Lantern, which I am sure has been discussed in the offices of Warner Bros., I have a few suggestions. I would take Wade Wilson’s advice in Deadpool to not make the suit animated this time, go with John Stewart -- the Green Lantern the more recent generation of DC fans will be more familiar with -- instead of Hal Jordan as your protagonist, and please keep in mind that when your hero possesses a ring that can manifest any object, there should be options to use in battle than a giant, green fist.

Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four is a beloved comic book that has been attempted on film more times than most (the first try in 1994 never even made it to theaters) but has never scored a real win. While Tim Story’s 2005 film and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, actually proved to be modest financial successes despite poor critical reception, those movies are gold compared to the infamous 2015 reboot, a box office disaster that suffered from premature fan backlash, debilitating reshoots, and director Josh Trank’s public disowning of the film over Twitter.

Now that Disney owns the rights to the property, fans of Marvel's first superhero family hope that Kevin Feige can save the Fantastic Four from cinematic obscurity with a film that finally gets the tone, character personalities, and origin story right this time. One thing the MCU should consider with their rumored reboot is, instead of choosing either humorless body horror or egregious sitcom fodder as the central, at least find a decent middle ground between both.

The Last Airbender

M. Night Shyamalan’s acclaim had been dwindling over the years since The Sixth Sense made him a household name, but it was his adaptation of the popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender that had him sentenced to movie jail. The epic fantasy about a young boy named Aang, the last of his kind, capable of wielding all four elements (earth, water, fire, air) was watered down to a poorly acted and completely nonsensical bore in the eyes of fans and critics, putting plans for a trilogy on indefinite hold.

Reviving The Last Airbender for another theatrical release does not look promising at the moment, but it looks like a live action TV series reboot on Netflix is in the works with original creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko as showrunners, who intend to fully realize their story in the cinematic vision they had always hoped for with a “culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast.” Avatar fans still might never forgive M. Night Shyamalan, who has bounced back decidedly well in the last few years since returning to his thriller roots, but at least there is a chance to finally see the beloved cartoon be served justice.

Is there another franchise vehicle that you believe deserves a second chance? Let us know in the comments below!

Conventional wisdom states that if you want to start a franchise, you have to give the people what they want. In some cases, like Marvel's Cinematic Universe, this has more or less been met with exactly what folks wanted at the multiplexes. But in other cases, such as the DC Extended Universe, it's been a rockier road to such a level of success.

And then there are the honored dead, who had high hopes and a gleam in their eyes, only to stumble down upon the starting gate and thus rob themselves of the loftier goals they aimed to achieve. Here now are 12 films that plotted out their futures, but couldn't get the people's votes, ultimately leaving their dreams unfinished.

King Arthur: Legend of The Sword

If we're going to talk about failed franchises, where's a better place to start than King Arthur: Legend of the Sword? With six films planned to adapt this fixture of English literature, the first film pretty much killed all hopes of such a cinematic universe faster than you could say, "Merlin." Blame the film's $175 million production budget, as well as its unreported marketing expenses, as the $134 million international take couldn't even cover the production alone. Guy Ritchie just doesn't seem to be able to catch a break, as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. also failed to launch a sequel of its own, though on a smaller scale.

Dracula Untold/The Wolfman

Most folks are already writing about the death of Universal's Dark Universe, what with The Mummy being bandaged up as a domestic failure. But what people seem to forget is that the Universal Monsters canon has been home to two other supposed failures in the modern era: 2010's The Wolfman and 2014's Dracula Untold. While The Wolfman wasn't explicitly supposed to set up an entire universe's worth of films, Dracula Untold literally went into reshoots to add a scene that would tease a world of gods and monsters. A fat lot of good it did them, as the film's been officially erased from the Dark Universe canon.

John Carter

As you continue to read this list, you're going to see quite a few franchises that had a lot of built-in sequel potential based on literary source material. With 12 books to adapt from, John Carter could have been a series that was still in theaters to this day. Of course, that was what director Andrew Stanton and the folks at Disney were hoping to do when they set out to adapt the series in 2012, but the underwhelming reception compared to the film's massive marketing spend and production budget didn't allow for a return to Barsoom anytime soon. These days, the property is with another rights holder, and a reboot is possible. But to the fans of Disney's take on the film, this is of little solace, as that incarnation was dead on the vine almost from the first showing.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Alan Moore hates every film incarnation of one of his comic books. The man hated V for Vendetta, he wouldn't even let his name grace Zack Snyder's Watchmen and he certainly wasn't a fan of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. That last one is probably the movie most die-hard Moore fans would agree on hating, as the film's modest financial success wasn't considered good enough to push for a sequel. But not only did the sequel to "LXG" never happen, it basically pushed Sean Connery into retirement. So if there wasn't enough of a reason to salt the earth that the film walked on, this pretty much sealed it.

Ender's Game

Young people can be fickle. One moment, a property like Divergent is on top of the world. The next, it can't even find the wind in its sails to finish a series of proper film adaptations. Though they were lucky to have gotten where they did, as Lionsgate's other attempt at cashing in on the teen market, Ender's Game, couldn't even make it past Earth's atmosphere before stalling out. Now part of the reason could have been the backlash surrounding the author of the source material, Orson Scott Card, and we wouldn't be surprised if that factored into the decision somehow. But seeing as the film only made $15 million worth of profit on paper, without accounting for whatever other expenses were incurred with selling the picture, it looks like money killed this beast.

Super Mario Bros.

You knew this was coming, as one of the earliest instances of sequel baiting most movie fans of this age can remember is the fact that Super Mario Bros. ended with the promise of a return to the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course, when you don't even recoup half of your budget, and your two lead stars had to get drunk on the set to even make the first film a complete product, you're basically promising empty air. Still, with the film garnering a couple fans here and there in the modern age, maybe someone will try to reboot this dinosaur of a franchise.

The Golden Compass

Now here's a movie that already had a natural tease for a sequel built into it, and yet it somehow it managed to go out of its way to beg for another installment. New Line's The Golden Compass was the first of what should have been three films based off of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Alas, the adaptation of the film pissed off fans to no end, as it not only watered down key elements of the source material, but it changed the ending to screw folks out of a truly spectacular cliffhanger. Instead of getting some more Daniel Craig/Nicole Kidman action, as well as Lyra's jump from her dimension to ours, we saw our intrepid adventurer merely comfort her friend, committing to the cause of fighting the villains in the next movie.

Beautiful Creatures

In the case of most of the films on this list, sequels were denied despite the fact that the films that were released made somewhat of a profit on the surface. But in the case of Beautiful Creatures, a cancellation was all but certain from the first weekend of release. The film debuted in 6th place on the same weekend films like A Good Day to Die Hard and The Identity Thief debuted. If you can't compete against films like those, you're already screwed. But if you're a young and hot literary franchise trying to make your bones not too long after Twilight had its hands on the pulse of cinema, then you shouldn't have bothered even showing up.

Van Helsing

Oh that crazy Universal Monsters universe. If Van Helsing succeeded the way that Universal had intended it to, we not only would have gotten a sequel of some sort, but we also would have also received a TV series out of the deal. Back when Universal spent the $160 million to make this monster mash, the plan was to reuse some of the sets to make Transylvania, a proposed NBC series that would have been set in the world of Hugh Jackman's supernatural hunter. But, for one reason or another, despite almost doubling its budget, the series was doomed to die alongside Kate Beckinsale's character, leaving fans to stare into the sunset as its ghost was reunited with Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

If you ever wondered why Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events found itself encountering a dismal end itself, perhaps you should Meet The Fockers. With the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro sequel debuting a week after the film version of this tragic tale took the stage, the Baudelaire siblings found themselves trumped by their greatest enemy of all: a happy ending. While time would be kind to the film, and a Netflix show would eventually come out of the wreckage, A Series of Unfortunate Events was dealt the cruelest hand of all by being stranded with its one and only film.

The Lone Ranger

If you thought John Carter was the biggest sore spot on Disney's modern box office record, we'd like to remind you that The Lone Ranger actually exists. By the ingredients alone, it looked like the Gore Verbinski/Disney machine was about to start printing more money again, as their pairing on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise proved to be quite fruitful. But horrible buzz and an uninterested public doomed this film to merely recoup its budget, and a $45 million profit on the top. Compared to the Pirates films, this was obviously nothing, as even the fourth film managed to cross the $1 billion mark. So naturally, the Armie Hammer/Johnny Depp adventure was buried in an unmarked grave and paved over to make way for a really big water tank.

Everything about Marvel typically runs like a well-oiled machine. For the past decade or so, the company has churned out hit after hit and enjoyable film after enjoyable film, mirroring the early run of fellow Disney subsidiary Pixar. Yesterday, however, the studio may have made a horrific blunder when it released an overly honest soundtrack listing. If so, the rookie mistake revealed a major plot point in Captain America: The Winter Soldier months ahead of its release date.

It’s not the type of screw-up any of us would have expected from Marvel, but then again, history has shown us even the best companies have given away movies thanks to serious lapses in judgment by the marketing team, the creative team or the studio itself. From major plot points to gigantic twists to character secret identities, pretty much every type of spoiler possible has leaked out at one point or another, and it has happened through both obvious and not so obvious ways.

So, in honor of Marvel’s (alleged) big mistake, let’s take a trip back and examine 6 different ways movies have been spoiled ahead of their release dates…

Warning: This article contains spoilers. Obviously...

With Toys, As Evidenced By The Amazing Spider-Man

Hardcore toy collectors have been on to this glitch in the system for years, but the media and casual fans have only started catching on recently. Basically, in order to sell as many toys related to event films as possible, the studio needs to ensure two things. First, kids need to be able to buy products directly related to the plot, and second, they need to be able to buy them as soon as they’re released. In order to do that properly, Hasbro or whoever needs to be given key details months in advance, and this often creates a very big problem.

Check out the image at the top of this post. Not only does it tell us a climactic showdown between Spider-Man and Lizard will take place in Oscorp’s Tower, it tells us it will involve a SWAT team being transformed into Lizards. That’s a pretty serious plot point, one director Marc Webb no doubt would have rather remained hidden from fans prior to The Amazing Spider-Man’s release date, but that didn’t happen thanks in large part to Mega Bloks and all the furious rumors the pre-release pictures of the box art created.

With Taglines, As Evidenced By Ender’s Game

I don’t know what percentage of the audience at an adaptation the average studio thinks has read the book, but I’m pretty sure it’s a lot lower than they’d guess. How else would you explain so why so many films based on classic novels seem to treat their marketing materials like a spoiler free zone, at least when it comes to major plot events? They straight up show characters getting hit by cars, and they take iconic lines of dialogue and turn them into movie taglines. Take Ender’s Game and, yes, spoilers are coming.

The biggest single moment in the movie is supposed to be when Ender finds out his war game wasn’t actually a game at all. The shocked look on both his and the audience’s faces is supposed to be the money shot, and yet, there it is in big letters on the poster. I’m sure a very high percentage of non-readers forgot the tagline while they were sitting down and watching the film, but I can guarantee you it still stuck with a healthy number of people, especially as the movie presented them with a final big simulation.

With Trailers, As Evidenced By Cast Away

I love Cast Away--like a stupid amount. The runtime flies by which is incredible given the subject matter, and the relationship between Hanks and all of his co-stars, including Wilson, is oddly touching. It’s a great, great movie, but the trailer is basically a blow-by-blow outline of what happens. It’s about to get really specific up in here. So, Spoiler Alert…

Here’s a list of things we see in the trailer. Hanks leaving for his trip and telling Helen Hunt he’ll be right back. The plane crashing. Hanks learning to feed himself on the island. Hanks learning to make fire and fish. Interacting with Wilson, building a raft, sailing into dangerous seas on that raft and even the reunion with Helen Hunt outside her garage. Why not throw in the plot twist with the dentist while we’re at it? Or God forbid, show Wilson slowly floating off into the distance? Most movies give away way too much information in the trailers, a fact recognized by theater owners, but Cast Away takes that common problem to an entirely new level.

With Soundtracks, As Evidenced By The Phantom Menace

Song titles often leave a little bit of mystery about themselves, but the various pieces of music on a soundtrack are usually a little more explicit. In fact, since they’re linked to hyper-specific moments in the film, they’re often simply named after what’s happening in the scene they’re played atop. So, Jurassic Park has a track called "Hatching Baby Raptor" for example. That’s not in-depth enough to ruin anyone’s good time, but unfortunately for George Lucas, the same cannot be said for the Phantom Menace soundtrack, which included a pretty big bombshell spoiler.

The track was called "The High Council Meeting And Qui-Gon's Funeral", and more than a few Star Wars super nerds were beyond pissed off when they saw the track listing. In fact, the bitterness even lingered long enough that it’s been mentioned almost constantly over the past twenty-four hours thanks to Marvel’s soundtrack mistake. The key here is to not release track listings when they come out or to simply hint at big events like "The Aftermath" or "The Assembly" instead of overtly saying the character and funeral in the same clause.

With The Entire Movie, As Evidenced By X-Men Origins: Wolverine

About one month before the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the unthinkable happened. A working print of the film found its way onto the Internet. Exactly how is still unclear. Someone working in special effects seems to have copied it to give to a friend, or a friend secretly copied it and give it to his or her friends. It eventually expanded out wide enough to get to Korean bootleggers who sold it to a man for $5 who then put it on the Internet. Exactly how many people watched the rough cut or used the rather negative reviews to avoid going to the box office is unclear, but years later, FOX is still irate about it and with good reason.

Many studios have increased security measures to make sure things like this don’t happen again. Copies are watermarked or individuals are put in sole charge of them and told never to let it leave their sights. That’s the way it has to be too because unfortunately, if there’s one single weak link in the chain of hundreds of people who work on movies, the entire film worth of spoilers can end up online.

With Movie Posters, As Evidenced By Rocky IV

I’m not saying there are people out there who thought Rocky would lose to Ivan Drago, but the whole point of watching Rocky IV is to see the boxer take on the beast from the USSR. As you can see in the picture, he clearly beats him, much to the joy of not only himself but the entire country who has clearly gotten behind him and turned the event into an Olympic like referendum on national pride.

The basic goal of marketing is to get people into the theater. Consequently, I understand why it would be appealing to let Americans know Rocky IV would offer a Cold War ass whooping, but there are better ways to imply that than by outright showing people on the poster. You can picture the two men in the ring. You can offer a stare down pre-fight. You can pretty much show anything that’s not the embrace of the victor.

You know I love a good GIF. So what better way to recap this year's biggest hits and misses than through that little looping animation that has made the internet such a magical place?

In the coming days, we'll be rolling out our critic's personal top tens to toast the very best movies this year had to offer. But here I'll be recapping the highs and lows of the movie business experienced over the past 12 months. 2013 has been a pretty fascinating time for film, full of reversals of fortune, dizzying successes and even some truly polarizing pictures. So let's look back and GIF out!

Jennifer Lawrence IS The Girl On Fire

The twenty-three-year-old ingénue may well be one of the most talked about people of 2013. Or maybe it just seems that way since everything she does becomes a GIF or viral video. But internet saturation aside, JLaw has had an incredible year. It began with her winning the Academy Award for Silver Linings Playbook, and winning our undying devotion by tripping on her way to the podium.

With the fall (as in autumn) came the release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The much anticipated sequel to The Hunger Games not only won better reviews than the first film, but has already made more at the box office in just four weeks ($735 million worldwide) than the first had in its entire run ($691 million worldwide). Then just in time for Christmas, Lawrence gives the glitzy gift of American Hustle, her reteam with David O. Russell and Bradley Cooper that is scooping up critical praise, SAG nominations, and Golden Globe nods. All this hype and hubbub could well lead to Lawrence making her second trip to Oscar gold come 2014.

Every Non-Hunger Games YA Property Bombs

Harry Potter and Twilight proved what a box office behemoth a good YA property can be. And the record-breaking success of The Hunger Games' first two films proves audiences are still hungry for the genre. So why did so many would-be YA franchises fail this year?

Sharing an author with Twilight did nothing to help the adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's The Host. The $40 million movie fronted by Saoirse Ronan brought in an embarrassing $48 million worldwide, and got a mere 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on the Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's novel, Beautiful Creatures was poised for this same audience, which presumably missed supernatural stories of romance. Nonetheless, critics jeered and this movie pulled in just $60 million worldwide, little more than its production budget before the high expenses of movie marketing.

Another $60 mil production was Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which was meant to be the first in a franchise based on Cassandra Clare's six-part novel series. But it earned on 12% of critic's approval on Rotten Tomatoes, and made just $80 million worldwide, throwing its sequel plans into uncertainty. Lucky for fans of Clary Fray, Constantin Film Produktion has looked past these abysmal numbers and has promised a part two with Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes.

Less lucky on the sequel front was Ender's Game. The most expensive of these YA-inspired adventures cost a whopping $110 million to produce, and made just $87 million worldwide despite topping the box office on its opening weekend. Some might blame the outspoken bigotry of its author Orson Scott Card for the film's failure, but CinemaScore's suggest it was more a lackluster word of mouth after its first weekend that sunk a sequel's chances.

Sandra Bullock Says Screw Your Glass Ceiling

You know those little assumptions of fact like "women aren't funny," or "audiences won't pay to see female-fronted action movies" or "women over 40 can't get arrested in Hollywood?" Yeah. Sandra Bullock showed just how out of date each of those bullshit lines of thought were this year, and she did it with a one-two punch known as The Heat and Gravity.

This summer Bullock teamed up with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig and its breakout star Melissa McCarthy for an R-rated cop comedy with some serious balls ovaries. Not only did The Heat win over critics, it also proved a force to be reckoned with tanking the suspected blockbuster White House Down, and taking home an impressive $229 million. But Bullock wasn't through with 2013 yet. October brought the release of Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, a lost in space thriller that broke a slew of box office records and went on to earn a stellar $642 million worldwide. As award season heats up, many count Bullock a serious contender for Oscar night, thanks to her physically demanding out-of-this-world performance.

Channing Tatum's Winning Streak Comes To An End

2012 was hands down the Year of Channing Tatum. Everything this stripper turned "Sexiest Man Alive" touched turned to gold, from The Vow to 21 Jump Street and of course Magic Mike. But 2013 was less kind, and for reasons we still can't make sense of.

The year started off well, with Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects, which earned critical praise and a healthy $60 mil worldwide. Then came G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which made $375 mil globally but wrote Tatum out of the future of the franchise. Next was what should have been Tatum's summer smash, White House Down. But despite its exhilarating president-under-siege plot and a gripping execution from Roland Emmerich, this $150 million tent pole crashed hard, coming in #4 its opening weekend, and making only $73 million domestically. Another blow was dealt when Tatum's could-be solace--and potential Oscar contender--Foxcatcher was moved from December of 2013 to 2014. Despite these setbacks, Tatum's still standing strong, with 22 Jump Street and Jupiter Ascending coming next year.

Johnny Depp Showed His Ass

Metaphorically of course. Between the massively successful Pirates of the Caribbean movies and Tim Burton's worldwide hit Alice in Wonderland, Depp had become Disney's favorite oddball/star. So Disney trusted Depp when his artistic muse led him to cake his face in white paint and play a nutty Native American in a big sprawling western of his own producing. Here Depp overreached in a move I've compared to Mike Myers, and the sloppy western with a reported budget of $215 million has been estimated to have lost Disney $150 million after print and advertising costs. But then things got gross when Depp decided to blame the film's epic failure not on it being a bad product that didn't connect with moviegoers, but on critics being judgmental jerks. (Allow Katey to explain why that argument holds no water.)

Of course even with this failure--and that of Dark Shadows the year before--Depp is still a big star. But his star power has taken a hit. Reportedly, Disney is reassessing how much they are willing to spend on the next Pirates movie. But they are far from giving up on Depp, what with Alice in Wonderland 2: Eccentric Boogaloo coming in 2016.

Even Still, Disney Dominated

Through its various distribution and production deals, Disney was essentially the driving force of the box office this year. Even with the massive flop that was The Lone Ranger, the House of Mouse had so many irons in the fire in 2013 that didn't matter that the expensive western was an absolute dud.

Their year started off strong with Oz: The Great and Powerful. Then two wings of their smart company buys kicked in, with Marvel's massive hit Iron Man 3--which is on track to be the highest grossing domestic release of the year--and the Pixar prequel Monsters University. Even with the summer catastrophe that was The Lone Ranger, Disney hit the billion dollar mark by July. And that was before Planes, Thor: The Dark World and Frozen came out. By the end of November, the studio that's earnestly gobbling up all the franchises you love became the first studio ever to make $4 billion in one year at the box office . And that number keeps climbing as Frozen continues to thrive, and Saving Mr. Banks joins the fray.

Hollywood Goes Crazy For True Crooks

This year theaters were overrun with films inspired by the bad behavior of real-life lowlifes, from The Bling Ring, and Spring Breakers, to Pain & Gain, Wolf of Wall Street, and American Hustle. And by and large we ate it up!

Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring won rave reviews for its depiction of the home invasion and burglary spree of a pack of entitled Hollywood teens, and made a solid $19 million at the box office. Harmony Korine's neon-colored crime-drama Spring Breakers, which may or may not have found its muse in a lesser-known rapper called Riff Raff, became a hot button issue of child stars gone wild thanks to scantily clad performances from Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez. While parents blanched, critics cheered and audiences turned out to the tune of $32 million.

The horrendous acts of extortion, torture and murder of the Sun Gym gang became a gonzo satire in Michael Bay's Pain & Gain. Though the outlandish biopic received mixed reviews, it scored at the box office, bringing in $86 million worldwide. David O. Russell's American Hustle is a comedy influenced by the conmen of ABSCAM, and while it's too soon to call this recently released film a hit, it certainly has won over critics, earning seven Golden Globe nominations and a string of critic guild honors. As it won't open until Christmas, Wolf of Wall Street is another unknown, but the early buzz is overwhelmingly good with many critics claiming it one of the best films of the year.

Man Of Steel: A Hit AND A Miss?

Few films this year drew the kind of passion Zack Snyder's Man of Steel unleashed. Earning $662 million worldwide, the $225 million superhero epic was undeniably a box office success that cemented the future of DC's growing movie franchise which will include the already polarizing Batman vs. Superman. However, the film's controversial climax struck a chord that had some fans cheering and others cursing the heavens.

Screenwriter/Superman fan Max Landis and Superman comic book writer Mark Waid both publically scorned Snyder's take on the iconic hero, but both he and Man of Steel scribe David S. Goyer defended their death-packed final act.

Here at Cinema Blend, we too were divided. Eric loved the movie, giving it four stars with his review, while Mack declared this Superman is one humanity could never trust to protect us. And from the look of the comments sections, this debate is far from over.

American Remakes Get Trashed In Translation

You know when you see a foreign film and think, "That was great! It’s a shame Hollywood doesn't make movies like that!" Well, this year showed that's not for lack of trying. 2013 saw the release of three remakes of foreign properties, that despite lauded directors and loveable stars flopped hard.

The first came last summer in the form of Brian De Palma's Passion, a lifeless remake of the erotic thriller Love Crime fronted by Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace. Critics sneered, and ultimately the $30 million dollar remake pulled in about $1.3 mil worldwide.

Fairing better but still badly was Delivery Man, the Vince Vaughn vehicle, which was a retooled version of the heralded French-Canadian comedy Starbuck. Even though DreamWorks brought Ken Scott, the first film's writer-director, on to helm this American version, lightning did not strike twice. The $26 mil production brought in just $29 million worldwide and earned little love from critics.

Last but not least was Spike Lee's Oldboy, which relocated Park Chan-wook's iconic Korean revenge thriller to New York City. Even with a splashy ad campaign and stars like Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley and Samuel L. Jackson, Lee's remake couldn't win over audiences or critics. All told the $30 million rehash made a shockingly low $4 million worldwide.

The Rock Ruled

There was a time when Dwayne Johnson was just a WWE star with a cool catchphrase and a megawatt smile. But with dogged determination and more than a decade of film work now under his belt, Johnson has pulled himself to Hollywood's A-list. Don't believe me? This year this insanely brawny star fronted four feature films. Three of these - G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Pain & Gain, and Fast and Furious 6 - opened at #1 (Snitch opened at #2 behind the widely promoted comedy The Identity Thief). By June, these four films has made more than a billion dollars at the box office, ultimately earning Johnson the title of highest-grossing star of the year, according to Forbes. The Rock was in our face through all of 2013, and still left us wanting more.

Thor thundered back into theaters this weekend riding high on the big buzz that Marvel has generated for its Avengers franchises over the last year and a half. Banking a $86.1 million first place opening, Thor 2 handily exceeded the $65 million debut of the first Thor film back in 2011. When added to the substantial sum the movie has made world-wide, its total international sales exceed $320 million.

Meanwhile last weekend's top earner Ender's Game took a hard hit, dropping more than 60% and slipping to fifth place. With less than $45 million in domestic ticket sales and only a fraction of that from around the world, the sci-fi flick is hard pressed against its $110 million budget.

Romantic time-travel comedy About Time expanded to 1,200 venues and banked $5.8 million to sneak into the top ten at ninth place. 12 Years A Slave continues to expands its release and its sales, adding $6.6 million to its $17 million total.

Space thriller Gravity has also continued to hold on strong, and this week passed an interesting final frontier related marker. With $231 million in domestic sales it cruised past Star Trek Into Darkness' grand total of $228 million and is on its way to becoming one of the top five grossing movies of the year to date.

For the full weekend top ten, check out the chart below:

Thor: The Dark World *

$86,109,000Total: $86,109,000LW: N

THTRS: 3,841

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

$11,300,000Total: $78,747,000LW: 2

THTRS: 3,187

Free Birds

$11,180,000Total: $30,196,000LW: 4

THTRS: 3,736

Last Vegas

$11,100,000Total: $33,531,000LW: 3

THTRS: 3,082

Ender's Game

$10,250,000Total: $44,001,000LW: 1

THTRS: 3,407

Gravity

$8,405,000Total: $231,119,000LW: 5

THTRS: 2,720

12 Years a Slave

$6,600,000Total: $17,346,000LW: 7

THTRS: 1,144

Captain Phillips

$5,800,000Total: $90,982,000LW: 6

THTRS: 2,646

About Time

$5,172,000Total: $6,690,000LW: 13

THTRS: 1,200

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

$2,800,000Total: $109,976,000LW: 8

THTRS: 1,836

It was pretty well expected that the highly anticipated (or, at least, highly marketed) Ender's Game would be number one this weekend, but just how close it would come to missing that mark wasn't on most box office radars.

On the heels of lukewarm reviews the sci-fi movie debuted with just $28 million against its $110 million budget. While that was still enough for number one, it wasn't too much more than the second place $20 million that Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa banked, adding to its now $62 million domestic running total.

Some might attribute Ender's Game's lack of financial success to a boycott against the novel's author and his political views, but if that particular vote-with-your-wallet audience was really all that influential you'd think a movie full of actors supporting their political position would have done better than Last Vegas did. The story of bucket list debauchery banked a mediocre $16.5 million for a third place opening weekend.

At the very least they would have supported it enough to do far better than the $16.2 million taken in by the critically panned animated Free Birds. The sort-of-Thanksgiving themed movie didn't appear to get any kind of boost from the holiday connection, and will likely have faded into obscurity before the actual Thanksgiving weekend box office rush hits at the end of the month.

12 Years A Slave expanded to just over 410 venues and climbed from eighth place to seventh, more than doubling its take last weekend earning $4.6 million.

For the full weekend top ten, check out the chart below:

Ender's Game *

$28,000,000Total: $28,000,000LW: N

THTRS: 3,407

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

$20,500,000Total: $62,058,000LW: 1

THTRS: 3,345

Last Vegas *

$16,520,000Total: $16,520,000LW: N

THTRS: 3,065

Free Birds *

$16,200,000Total: $16,200,000LW: N

THTRS: 3,736

Gravity

$13,130,000Total: $219,196,000LW: 2

THTRS: 3,024

Captain Phillips

$8,500,000Total: $82,551,000LW: 3

THTRS: 3,021

12 Years a Slave

$4,600,000Total: $8,760,000LW: 8

THTRS: 410

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

$4,200,000Total: $106,195,000LW: 5

THTRS: 2,430

Carrie (2013)

$3,400,000Total: $31,973,000LW: 6

THTRS: 2,252

The Counselor

$3,250,000Total: $13,368,000LW: 4

THTRS: 3,044

There has been a lot of controversy related to Ender’s Game and the author of the source material for the film, Orson Scott Card, over the last several months, thanks to Card’s unpopular views on gay marriage. The brouhaha surrounding the film has kept fan’s eyes and ears off of the director of Summit Entertainment’s film, Gavin Hood, who also adapted Card’s novel for the big screen. While our brains were busy formulating opinions about Card, Hood was working to take a book largely told from the perspective of a young boy named Ender with a brilliant military mind and turn it into a story that could be observed from the outside. Despite many fans’ love of seeing the cogs in Ender Wiggins’ mind churn and strive, Ender’s Game largely works as an action film.

Still, because the perspective in the novel needed to be changed to suit the needs of the film and because Card’s original novel is highly detailed and accurate in its intentions, Ender’s Game is a different but similar adventure on the big screen when compared to its novel counterpart. Hood is smart to use a lot of touchstones from the book so that the plot doesn’t stray too far from its source material, and overall, Ender’s Game feels like a newly detailed story with a familiar overarching plot.

Following are the eight biggest changes I noticed in my screening of Ender’s Game. Plenty of other details were changed, of course, and feel free to remark on any changes you feel may have been more noticeable. There are many spoilers in the Ender’s Game book to movie comparison. Do not delve in if you want the film to be a surprise.

The film begins with some historical context regarding why humanity is working to fight an alien civilization. There’s no time to let the details of the battles unfold throughout the movie, so audiences get an understanding of why humanity is preparing for a big battle right up front.

Ender Wiggin’s timeline is changed drastically in the film. In the novel, we first meet Ender at age six and he progresses into young adulthood and then adulthood by the end of the text. In the film, Ender is already an older child and Hood speeds up the urgency of the battle for humanity so that our protagonist can remain the same age throughout the film. It’s nice that they were able to keep the same actors in the roles. There is typically a disconnect when a character changes ages and actors partway through a film.

Ender’s capacity for violence is heavily toned down in the movie. In the film, it is never noted that he actually kills the bullies that prey upon him, including Stilson and Bonzo. His competence and desire to thoroughly win anything and overcome any obstacle placed in his path is understated until the final battle with the alien race. Additionally, while he has compassion in the novels, he is even more softened in the film, likely to make him more likeable.

Ender’s siblings, Valentine and Peter, are almost cut out of the movie completely. We do get the barebones facts about their personalities and Valentine does help to pump Ender up when he is feeling down. Regardless, the fascinating secondary storyline following the siblings’ alter egos Demosthenes and Locke is cut entirely from the film, which is a bit of a bummer, since it offers a political counterpoint to Ender’s military experience.

Ender’s time in Battle School is quite short. It would have been tedious to sit through several hours of mock battles, but what viewers don’t quite get is how thoroughly Ender is put through the wringer in Battle School. In the novel, just when he gets confident with one platoon, he is put into another, and each time he makes a friend, he is transferred into a new unit. Importantly, however, we do understand the fatigue and Ender’s ability to command respect with a little work.

There are no practice sessions beyond the initial one. The practice sessions are able to help Ender to earn some loyal followers as well as work out details related to the battle games, and while they would have been fun to watch, there is a lot of filler in these segments that were thankfully streamlined for the big screen.

Bean becomes a friend early on. Bean’s character in the novel serves as a reminder of Bonzo’s folly. Ender learns early that Bonzo’s leadership tactics are faulty and when Bean presents a personality similar to Ender’s, it is up to Ender to figure out a way to earn Bean’s respect and still command adequately. In the film, Bean is simply a good-natured fighter. It works out fine, but the audience does lose the nice tie-in to Ender’s early experiences and his later ones.

In the end, the race of "buggers" are able to communicate to Ender via one remaining queen on the planet where he fought the battle. One small life form is waiting to save the race, and Ender sets out to find the race a new home, making a small amends to the destruction he caused. This is less epic than the book ending, which features Valentine and Ender escaping into space and finding the small life form elsewhere, but it makes sense, considering Valentine and Peter don’t play a large role in the movie.

Comparing a film to the book on which it’s based is always a tricky task, as we all have our own mental visualization of how a story looks. My hopes for the feature adaptation of Ender’s Game were high, but I left the screening thinking that Gavin Hood’s adaptation did about as good a job as it could have with the source material, turning Orson Scott Card’s story into a movie without compromising the core message or the lead character. Ender’s Game isn’t a perfect movie, nor is it a page-by-page adaptation of the book, but it does the novel justice, delivering stunning visuals and much of the powerful message Card sends in the novel.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers from the Ender’s Game book and movie! If you’re looking for a review that’s mild on spoilers, read our official review here.

Trailers for Ender's Game have been playing up the war and alien invasion side of the story, pushing visual effects more than anything and not being entirely clear about the story. Though I knew plenty about the intentions of the film, having spoken to the cast, director and producers, I still felt a growing concern that everything we were seeing in the trailers was an indication that impressive special effects would be the best thing we might be able to say about the adaptation, and that the story would come second (or not really at all). Hopes were high, but my expectations for the final product weren't quite so. The director and producers can tell you what they want for a movie, but there's no guarantee that the finished product will deliver. Fortunately, in the case of Ender's Game, it really does. And I'm not sure they could have adapted it any better.

The movie doesn’t try to be a perfect adaptation of the book. There are a few memorable moments and plots left out entirely, Peter and Valentine’s Demosthenes and Locke story included. But I don’t want to do a point-by-point list of what was changed, because I don’t really have any objections to them. Sure, they aged the kids up, but that seems like it would be necessary to condense the timeframe of the story. And the message board plot in the book did a nice job to set a more political tone to the story and add some Earth-set context to the Formic war, but the central story doesn’t change without it. And I could’ve watched Battle Room scenes for hours, but let’s face it, there’s a story to tell, so it seems necessary that the filmmakers condense Ender’s progression through Battle School, which unfortunately means we only get a couple Battle Room scenes. What we do get from those scenes pays off with some incredible visuals, including that breathless moment when Ender stares out into the zero gravity Battle Room for the first time, realizing he has to be the one to take the first blind leap.

As I mentioned, the trailers for the film went out of their way to push the visual effects and war aspect of the story, and having seen the movie in IMAX, I can understand why, as the film seems to be one great visual scene after another, separated only by Battle and Command school scenes that paint a detailed picture of the setting Card created for his story. The movie really does well to emphasize the setting as much as it does the story. Readers should appreciate the look and feel of Battle School and the occasional Earth-set scene emphasizing the futuristic backdrop of this story as much as they do the incredible battle scenes that fill the intense final act. But the story remains intact throughout. Ender is introduced to us as a target for bullies but a strategic genius. When he goes to Battle School, Graff makes sure that target remains on his back. pushing Ender to rise above with every challenge he faces until it’s time for him to lead.

The trailers for the film teased very little about Ender’s underdog status, but the movie does include a number of key moments there, including Ender being bullied when he gets his monitor off, and his struggles to acclimate himself to Battle School. That includes being immediately disliked by Bonzo the moment he’s promoted to Salamander Army, and the horrific shower scene that literally had me gasping even though I knew what was coming. If you’re worried that the film will hold back on violence, don’t be. There isn’t a major fight sequence between Ender and Bonzo, but to say that the outcome of the altercation is unsettling would be an understatement.

I get a bit more critical after the jump...

If I have one notable complaint about the film, it’s that it gets a little bit choppy at the end. The Mind Game is worked into the story earlier in the movie and it’s directly referenced at the end when Ender seeks out the Queen. But it does feel a bit wedged in, as if it needs to be explained to us because there wasn’t enough time to let it unfold a bit more organically. And there probably wasn’t, which is kind of ok, though I’m curious to know how people who haven’t read the book perceived the end of the movie. Having read the book, it makes sense to me, as Ender’s choice to save the last Queen is a demonstration of his compassion. And that compassion is already demonstrated throughout the movie through numerous moments when we see the softer side of Ender Wiggen, which usually come directly after a moment when we’ve seen his darkest side. So Ender's final scenes don’t come out of left field, but they do feel a little bit rushed, not so much as the ending of the movie, but as a fully satisfying conclusion of the story. With that said, I don't even know how they could have fixed that other than to include more Mind Game scenes in the story, which would've lengthened the movie, and might not be the best thing. The film's run-time is about perfect -- spoken as someone who often finds herself checking the time at around the two-hour mark.

What makes up for the above critique are the performances of the actors. Asa Butterfield is Ender Wiggin. He captures all of the things that make Ender such a fascinating character, from his tactical genius, his curiosity and of course, his compassion. Butterfield plays up every aspect of his character perfectly. Harrison Ford portrays Graff just as well, as the unsympathetic colonel who believes the ends justify the means in this war, even if it’s at the cost of a child’s innocence and sanity. Ben Kingsley's performance made me want more scenes with Mazer Rackham. Of course, introducing him sooner into the story would have probably been too drastic of an alteration. As a fan of Moises Arias from The Middle and Kings of Summer, I loved him as Bonzo. He’s perfectly unlikable. Viola Davis plays the sympathetic Gwen Anderson beautifully, not only in the way she seems to want to reach out to Ender when he’s in pain, but also in the way she serves as a contrast to Graff’s less empathetic approach to handling Ender. Anderson’s presence and occasional objections do well to show us that Graff’s lack of empathy is a choice and a manipulation strategy.

Hailee Steinfeld plays Petra well, which is a good thing, as her role seems to have been enhanced a bit, unfortunately at the cost of some of the other characters at Battle School. I would’ve liked more Bean, Dink, Alai and even Bernard. They’re all there, they’re all named, and they all get just enough screen time not to blend in with the rest of the Battle School kids, but Petra is clearly Ender’s closest friend at Battle School in the film. Abigail Breslin does just as well as Valentine, another female in Ender’s life looking to offer him compassion and comfort as he attempts to withstand the pressures of Battle and Command school.

This cast works, and that’s one of the reasons the film does too. Beyond that, great visual effects and an obvious understanding of the story are what allow Ender’s Game to rise above lesser successful adaptations of great novels. With all of the flashy visual effects and thrilling moments, the story could’ve easily gotten lost, and it doesn’t. Changes aside, the movie stays the course right to the end, never losing sight of the book’s message or of who Ender Wiggin is at his core, which is what makes the movie nearly as satisfying as the book and well worth the wait.

There are a lot of great reasons not to see Ender’s Game this weekend. Let me hit you with an incomplete list. Advertisements for the film have been confusing. Harrison Ford’s voiceovers sound kind of awkward. The footage looks a little video game-ish. It’s only getting blah plus reviews from critics. It might be one of the last nice theme park weekends of the year. Movie tickets are expensive. Director Gavin Hood’s take on Wolverine was not very good. There will be Halloween parties. All of these and a whole lot more are perfectly valid reasons to stay away, but let me tell you one that isn’t: Orson Scott Card’s hatred for gay people.

I like the gays. I own a yellow shirt that says "Equality Is My Priority", and when given the chance to write about gay marriage, I enthusiastically endorse it. What society needs more than anything else is happy and devoted couples who have made a commitment to stick it out for the long haul. What it does not need more of, however, is people who fixate on one issue and lose all sight of the bigger picture.

Movies have to be judged by their content, not by who created them. Your average film is organized and executed by hundreds of people of different races and genders who boast different sexual orientations, different religions and different political leanings. The only thing they have in common is their shared desire to make the final product as brilliant and moving as possible, and if you separate the group and start looking at each one of these creators individually and their perceived motivations, you’re almost always going to find some horrific and unseemly things beneath the surface. Why? Because a high percentage of us suck.

Disgusted by violence against women and want to show it by boycotting any film involving men with histories of domestic violence? Well, have fun throwing away your copies of The Hangover (Mike Tyson), Iron Man (Terrence Howard), Milk (Sean Penn), Platoon (Charlie Sheen) and No Country For Old Men (Josh Brolin).

Let’s say your chosen issue is race, and you refuse to watch anything involving men or women who have been accused of racism. Well, that means Braveheart and True Grit are out thanks to Mel Gibson’s numerous, well-publicized rants and that infamous 1971 Playboy interview John Wayne gave about white supremacy and selfish Indians trying to keep their land.

God forbid you ever felt like making a list of movies to avoid based on stars who have cheated on their spouses or ignored their children or acted like selfish, entitled dicks to everyone around them. It would take you months.

Card is a bit of a special case since he was so belligerent about his opinion for years (though he says he's backing off), but regardless, you still can’t look at the creator. You have to look at the finished product because flawed people have played a role in an incredible number of beautiful and unbiased things.

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were not only good friends but shared some bigoted views against Jewish people. Electricity and the assembly line, however, are efficient and clean innovations that don’t see class, race or hatred of any kind. John Lennon was, by most accounts, a horrendous father to his first child for long stretches, but that doesn’t make "Imagine" a less touching song.

People will always let you down, but beautiful pieces of art take on lives of their own, one absent the biases and flaws of the men and women who helped create them. A beautiful piece of art is eternal and incorruptible, and while no one is claiming Ender's Game is a movie that will define its generation, the same logic still applies.

Everyone who has seen Ender’s Game seems to agree there’s not a single shred of homophobia present anywhere in the runtime. Lionsgate has loudly and aggressively proclaimed its support for the LGBT community, and beyond that, none of the money from the film is going to Card himself. Therefore, the best thing to do as a consumer is to decide whether or not you want to see the movie based on the film’s actual merit. Forget Card and forget every single other person who played a role in the film. If you think it looks good, head to the theater. If you’ve got better things to do with your time, do something else. Either way, use the film as an excuse to let those around you know you support equal rights.

Don’t feel bad about enjoying a piece of art because the person who created it is a douche, and don’t make someone else feel bad about it either. If you refuse to embrace any movie financed or in someway created by someone who is a hateful jackass, you’re not going to have anything left to watch. And if you single Ender’s Game out and only protest this one, you should take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why that makes sense.

Though its release date isn’t technically until tomorrow, Ender’s Game arrives in theaters across the country tonight, and at long last for those who have been waiting decades to see Orson Scott Card’s novel adapted since it was published back in 1985. But how much does the book’s author actually stand to gain from the success of the film at the box office? According to The Wrap, "he won’t see a penny of your ticket money."

This isn't just insider knowledge about how profits from a film are distributed; some people have decided to protest Ender’s Game in response to Orson Scott Card’s well-publicized anti-gay views. If protesting the film is an effort not to hand your money over to someone whose personal, religious and political views don’t line up with your own, that isn’t an issue here, since Card’s fee was paid through a decade-old deal and there’s no backend, meaning he won't get a cut of the box office profits. The site goes into further detail on the history of the adaptation, noting that it bounced around for years before landing at Warner Bros. in 2002.

So while he has a producer credit, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be pocketing any profits made by the film, nor does it sound like he had much creative say in what went into the film, beyond the source material, which takes no stance on homosexuality or gay rights.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Card won’t benefit from the film’s publicity, as the Wrap quotes Jono Jarrett of Geeks OUT — the organization that’s called for a boycott of Ender’s Game due to Card’s views — as pointing out that book sales have been driven up by the film’s publicity. That may be true, but the publicity has also driven up a lot of attention and skepticism toward Card for his personal views, which could hurt him in the long run. I don’t think those views were a secret before, as he’s been pretty up front and on the record about them for years. But I read the book ten years ago and had never heard anything about Card’s anti-gay opinions until we started hearing news about the Ender’s Game film over the last year or so. From what EW posted earlier this year, neither did producer Roberto Orci:

Orci’s comment about the background check may seem a bit dismissive, but it’s a reasonable argument to make when we consider the number of people involved in making a film and the varying political and religious beliefs among them. Where do we draw the line? According to Orci, by what’s on the screen.

At the very least, in this case, people who had concerns that some of the money they spend on a ticket for the film might go to Card can rest easy as it doesn’t sound like he’ll see any of it.

Ender's Game arrives in theaters this weekend.

Have I told you about the time I shook Harrison Ford's hand?

I didn't get into the business of professional geekery to meet my childhood idols. I do this because I love to be moved by great stories, great performances and great direction. And when I met Ford on the set of Ender's Game, I got to combine the two-- wandering through the set was one big geeky dream come true even before Ford, who plays the military leader Colonel Graff, came over to say hello. As a child of the 80s and a geek who's never been particularly cool by conventional or unconventional standards, Harrison Ford is about as iconic as it gets, and I spent the encounter trying to remember to breathe and act professional.

Ford wasn't up for speaking on the record to the members of the press who were on set that day, but he was very polite and extremely soft-spoken, So much so that you could have heard a pin drop in the room during our brief chat. My interactions with the man consisted mainly of a hand-shake, whatever attempt at eye contact I was able to make, and a very calm, all-too-brief discussion about the movie, before he had to return to set. And then I exhaled.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to where we left off in Part 1, visiting the Battle School led by Ford's character Graff, who's tasked with looking after the gifted children who've been selected to attend a space-set Battle School to train for the anticipated second war against an alien race called the Formics. Graff forms a bond with the story's protagonist, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), an especially gifted and compassionate child Graff believes could be the one to lead humanity to victory.

We didn't exactly get to enroll in Battle School, but it felt like it when it came time for lunch, sitting down at our long cafeteria table just as all the kids from the film were sitting down at theirs. All of them were dressed in their costumes - blue cotton-looking jumpsuits, I believe - and wearing smocks to keep them from getting dirty while they ate. One of the kids forgot his smock and when someone came over to get him into one, he quickly apologized for starting to eat without it, noting that he forgot he was wearing it because the costume’s so comfortable. From what the kids had to say about the costumes, this probably wouldn't have happened if they were wearing the flash suits, as it sounds like those were pretty uncomfortable to wear.

The flash suits are the outfits the kids wear when they're in the Zero Gravity Battle Room. In the book the Battle Room is where the various armies face off by shooting each other with harmless flash guns that freeze their suits, rendering them paralyzed within the game, leaving them to float around in zero gravity. Butterfield was polite in describing the uncomfortable suits, saying, "They’re not really comfortable, actually. And the flash suits... they look incredible, but really they’re quite, well, they’re comfortable to a limit. For the first 15 minutes you’re wearing them, they’re cool, but then they get hot."

That brings us to the point of the set visit when we were taken into the trailer where the kids have "school" while they're on set. And not Battle School-school but actual school, since they're all minors and need to be educated, even when making a major motion picture. We used that area to sit with the cast (Asa Butterfield, Aramis Knight, Conor Carroll, Moises Arias, Khylin Rhambo, Suraj Partha, Hailee Steinfeld and Nonso Anonzie) and director Gavin Hood to discuss the film. One of the first topics discussed was preparing for the Zero Gravity scenes. Apparently, an astronaut spoke to the kids about what it's like to move around in zero gravity during the first week of filming. According to Butterfield, "He showed us lots of videos about what zero G does to your body and sort of the way to move in it, because in a lot of the films, they make zero G look like you need to move in slow motion and he said you can do whatever you want in it. The reason everyone moves slowly is so when they let go, it doesn’t spin off somewhere."

Later on that day, we got to speak with stunt coordinator Garrett Warren, who talked about about doing the zero gravity scenes in a bit more detail, and working with the people from Cirque du Soleil to design them. Part of that involved going wireless:

I wish I could tell you that this is the part where they took us somewhere and let us float around in zero gravity. Alas, that was only in my imagination. But hearing Warren discuss the stunts, it does sound like these kids got to do some cool stuff for this movie, and everything we've seen in the trailer indicates that the efforts paid off. Of course, wires were necessary for some things, and it sounds like that got really complicated at times:

You can take a look at some behind-the-scenes footage from the zero gravity room here.

Most of the kids got to attend space camp to learn more about what it would be like in space and working in a zero-gravity environment. There were also team building exercises. From what the kids say, it was a bonding experience for them, as they got to know each other better before the movie started shooting. They also did some military-like things there, which also ties into the setting of the film, as battle school is a military environment.

Director Gavin Hood talked to us a bit about his experience adapting the book and directing the film. Hood told us that he grew up in South Africa and hadn't actually read the book until his agent sent it to him. He says he connected with it, having been drafted when he was a teenager and going through his own bonding experience in a military environment. "I think the themes that are great in this book about friendship, identity, when placed under pressure and in an institution that encourages sometimes your more aggressive side and rewards that...all of those strange, powerful themes in Ender’s Game," Hood said, going on to add:

Later on in the discussion, Hood spoke about doing the film independently and an encounter with a major studio, which he refused to name, and an executive who looked at the script, probably not having read the book, and questioned the ending. I'm going to be vague here in relaying this story, for those who haven't read the book, but from what Hood said, this executive suggested an ending with a much more mainstream (generic-sounding) appeal, which pretty much missed the whole (or at least, a major) point of the story. Suffice it to say, Hood was relieved when Linda McDonough said flat out, "Well, we're not doing it here. They don't get it at all."

Hood went on to talk about the challenges of adapting a book to film:

Earlier, Linda told us that Hood's Tsotsi was a big factor in the decision making. "Because the story is equally as important in its emotional content as it is in its spectacle," she explained. "And as it was something we knew would only work if we had the right person connecting to it emotionally."

Going back to talks about getting the movie right, some changes did need to be made to adjust the story for the big screen. Fans of the book will have surely noticed that Asa Butterfield and the other kids playing the Battle School soldiers are a bit older than they were in Card's story. Hood talked about making adjustments to the ages and the span of time that takes place throughout the story for the sake of the film. Rather than spanning years in the book, the timeline was compressed to about a year in order to allow one actor to play the role. So we're seeing an older version of the character.

Fans will also have to do without some of the story involving Ender's siblings Peter (Jimmy 'Jax' Pinchak) and Valentine (Abigail Breslin) , neither of whom attend Battle School in the book or the movie. In the book, their story involves actively participating in the future's version of the internet, hiding behind fake names, the two children have a drastic impact on the political climate on earth while Ender is off preparing for the war. While we know Peter and Valentine are in the film, Hood says their story has been trimmed:

At one point during the discussion with the cast, someone asked Aramis Knight about his role as Bean, one of Ender's most loyal allies. From a book perspective, Ender's Game is really only an introduction to who Bean is as a character. Orson Scott Card wrote a follow-up to Ender's Game called Ender's Shadow, which tells the story of Ender's Game through Bean's perspective, giving us an alternate look at how things really happened. If you haven't read it, it's well worth a look, particularly because there's so much more to Bean's mindset than he lets on. Unlike Ender, who grew up in a household with two parents and two siblings, Bean wasn't raised in a family environment. He had it rough, and it affects who he is in the story. Knight spoke about that and how tough it was to portray a character who's tougher than he is.

For Moises Arias, it was less about being tough as it was about being mean for the role of Bonzo, one of Ender's rivals in the story. "There’s no happy moment for Bonzo," Arias told us. "He’s just serious the whole time, but I think, especially when Ender comes in, he just wants to be the bigger guy, even though I’m six inches shorter. You don’t really see that in that book, but I guess I’m bringing the Napoleon to the character…" Arias went on to compare Ender and Bonzo in the way the two characters attempt to lead, saying, "I really feel how it shows the different type of leadership that is in the book and involved in the book of how Ender will actually listen to his comrades and find a better way when Bonzo would just go through anybody and everybody just to win."

Of course, playing mean for Arias is just an act. The other kids agree that he's the nicest person and the funniest among them.

One of the things fans are likely anticipating the most out of this adaptation is how the zero gravity scenes look. From what the cast says, it was challenging but they had fun working on the battle room scenes, some of which involve the characters floating through zero gravity in tight formations. Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Petra in the film spoke about a kind of "zipline thing" that they used for some scenes. "So we have a bunch of different rigs," she explained. "As you can imagine. And one of them was kind of a zipline, when we all jump out and it was kind of complicated trying to figure out how we could all get out there at the same time and the first time we did it, I was behind Khylin and you can tell this…" Steinfeld turned to Kyhlin Rhambo, who plays Dink Meeker in the film. "Yeah, so I’m like, 'I’m about to go as hard as I possibly can. This is going to be amazing. Just watch this.' So, I run my hardest and I jump out and end up upside down and I flipped and she rammed into me. It’s fun, but that was like, that was amazing. I felt like a little kindergartner on a roller coaster. It was super cool."

Acting on wires and in harnesses required a fair bit of concentration and multi-tasking, and coordination as they have to freeze their bodies when they're shot in the flash suits. From what Aramis Knight told us, it sounds like Harrison Ford had no trouble with this.

Because Harrison Ford is awesome. I didn't need to travel all the way to New Orleans to confirm that, but it was confirmed nonetheless.

Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1.

If you’ve seen the remake of True Grit or the recently released adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet, then you’re already familiar with rising star Hailee Steinfeld. She has no shortage of upcoming roles, the next of which is the part of Petra in the Ender’s Game adaptation. Steinfeld visited Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this week and during her interview, a new clip from the film was released. Check it out in the tail-end of this video below (via ComicBookMovie.com.

Steinfeld may be struggling with learning how to drive on the freeways of Los Angeles, but her character Petra is clearly no novice in the zero-gravity Battle Room. In Ender’s Game, Steinfeld’s character is one of the gifted children sent to an orbiting Battle School where kids are preparing for a war against a hostile alien race. The clip has her offering some help to the titular Ender Wiggin, an especially gifted kid who’s determined to excel at Battle School, even if that means putting in the extra hours in the Battle Room, as evidenced by the video above.

The clip has Petra referencing antagonist Bonzo, one of the army leaders at Battle School. We got a glimpse of him facing off with Ender in one of the recently released photos. The scene in the clip above leads into Petra offering to show Ender some moves, and that gives us a great look at the inside of the Battle Room. We’ve seen snippets of the Battle Room scenes in the various trailers and TV spots, but this one gave us a bit more context, and included a bit of “impressive” target practice as Petra sends some marble-looking things flying and promptly shoots them with her flash gun.

Watching the exchange between Ender and Petra, I can’t help but wonder if we’re supposed to see something beyond friendship developing here, what with the smiles and the hand-holding. There’s also the fact that Steinfeld’s face has been featured quite a bit among the promotional material for the film, the official poster included, which makes me think her role might be a bit more prominent in the film than I recall it being in the book. I don’t remember there being any romance -- implied or otherwise -- between Ender and Petra in the book, but the characters were a bit younger there, and not quite at prime crush age, which might not apply to the film if they're in their tweens or early teens here. But on the other hand, it’s just as possible that those are friendly smiles we’re seeing in the clip, the hand-holding is so that they don’t drift from one another in the zero-G Battle Room, and Steinfeld’s presence on the poster and other content is part of the marketing, which isn’t such a bad idea, considering her star is on the rise these days.

Ender’s Game arrives in theaters November 1.

As we've pointed out in the past, much of what we've seen from the upcoming feature adaptation of Ender's Game has focused on alien invasion, war and what may very well prove to be some impressive visual effects. But those who have read the books know that there are key elements in this story that have yet to be revealed. The above photo gives us a look at one of them, as we see Asa Butterfield's Ender Wiggin (right) facing off with Moises Arias' Bonzo.

I'll be delicate with the spoilers here, for those who haven't read the book. To vaguely describe the situation, Bonzo is one of the army leaders at Battle School, a space-set orbiting training facility for kids where young Ender Wiggin has recently been recruited. To say that Bonzo and Ender don't get along is an understatement. It's established early on in the book that Ender's kind of a bully-magnet, which makes him a prime target for a guy like Bonzo. To say that the situation escalates would be an understatement, and the fact that Ender has a towel around his neck makes me wonder if we're looking at a particularly memorable scene from the book.

When we talked to director Gavin Hood at Comic-Con about the film's violence, he spoke directly about Ender's feud with Bonzo:

There's relevance to Ender's situation with Bonzo, as there is with just about everything else this kid encounters in Battle School. All of his experience contributes in shaping him to be the leader he's training to be, and to make the decisions he finds himself faced with later on in the story.

As for Moises Arias, I can't wait to see how he handles this particular role. He showed off his funny side on ABC's The Middle in the recurring role of Sue Heck's boyfriend a while back, and more recently, he showed off his sweet dance moves and smoke-ring-blowing abilities in Kings of Summer. I expect him to be a lot less likable in Ender's Game, but that's not such a bad thing. A little versatility goes a long way for an actor. And in a related note, it looks like he's been working out!

The above is just one of a bunch of new photos Summit released for the film, all of which you can check out here. They include these two photos, the first of which shows Butterfield floating around in the zero gravity Battle Room, and the second gives us a glimpse of Abigail Breslin, who plays Ender's sister Valentine in the story.

It looks like she's staring up at some kind of mobile showing alien "Formic" ships. Perhaps it's one of the decorations in Ender's room, if not her own room. Seems like it would be weird for a kid to have a decoration or toy that depicts the aliens that once actually invaded Earth, but on the other hand, we know the International Fleet's all about propaganda, so it's not so difficult to imagine them creating toys and decorations to serve as constant reminders to humanity's children that "The Next Invasion is Imminent".

Ender's Game will be invading theaters November 1.

If you've been keeping track of Mondo these days, you know they've been showcasing Universal monsters with some pretty outstanding limited edition prints, but the latest poster to unveil for the site is for a more current film. With Ender's Game set to arrive in theaters in a matter of weeks, the timing seems right for a Mondo poster to celebrate the anticipated sci-fi film, and artist Martin Ansin has delivered. The above poster is the "regular" version and below is the "variant."

The poster shows us the titular Ender Wiggin at the center, suited up in his flash suit and looking ready for the zero gravity battle room. Set over and around Ender are his allies. It looks like that's Hailee Steinfeld as Petra over there on the right, set above Viola Davis, who plays Gwen Anderson. And on the left, we have the stern faces of Harrison Ford (playing Colonel Graff) and Ben Kingsley (Mazer Rackham). At the center, we can see the silhouetted images of Ender and his friend Petra (Hailee Steinfeld) standing at the entrance to the battle room. It's an image that should be familiar if you've seen this still:

And the poster images appear to be set over the Ice Battle scene we've seen previewed in the TV spots, and most recently, one of the new clips:

As for when and where you can get the poster, MondoTees.com will have it available for sale on October 24. Follow @MondoNews for the exact time of the sale. And keep in mind, they're limited edition, so you'll probably have to be quick if you want to grab one:

You can check out more of Martin Ansin's excellent movie-inspired art here.

Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1.

After a series of trailers and TV spots, most of which have emphasized the alien invasion and war aspect of Summit's sci-fi thriller Ender's Game, we now have six new clips to add to the pile, the above video included, most of which focus on the story's lead character Ender Wiggin. Is he the one who will save mankind from the next "eminent" invasion? Harrison Ford's Colonel Graff seems to think so, but others aren't so sure.

Six clips is kind of a lot all at once, and those who think they might want to save something for the film should take that into consideration before watching these. I say that as someone who occasionally overindulges in promotional content for an anticipated film and then wishes I hadn't when I actually see the movie and half of it feels really familiar. With that said, most are in the 30-40 second range and appear to be extended segments from snippets we've seen in the trailers, with minor spoilers, especially if you've read the book.

Ender's Game is set in the future in the aftermath of a war against an alien race called the Formics. While the global government -- called the International Fleet -- prepares for the next invasion, they're training kids in an orbiting Battle School, in the hopes that one of them will be the one to lead humanity to victory this time around. In the above clip, we see Colonel Graff welcoming the launches to Battle School. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is among the new recruits, and he appears to take great interest in Graff's mention of Mazer Rackham, a soldier from the first war.

But let's step back a minute, as this next clip shows Graff as he recruits Ender:

Ender notes that this is what he was born for. He means that quite literally. If you've read Orson Scott Card's book, you know that Ender is a "third," or the third child produced in his family. As the modern law only allows for two children per family, Ender is a rare exception to that law, and being a "third" is part of what makes him something of an outcast, or at the very least, an underdog on earth.

So Ender's a "Third" but is he "The One"? Watch the clips after the jump and see for yourself…

The clip above shows Ender demonstrating his abilities in Command School, while Graff and Viola Davis' Major Gwen Anderson watch on, and the clip below shows Graff and Anderson having a disagreement over the tactics being used and the affect they might have on Ender...

Graff's clearly an "Ends justify the means" kind of guy, that much is clear by his words. Though I'm curious to know what happened before this clip that has Anderson upset enough to resign.

See Ben Kingsley as Major Rackham in the next two clips after the jump!

Rackham doesn't think Ender's ready, while Graff appears to think "ready enough" is enough. Once again, it's a demonstration of Graff's confidence and determination to stay the course. Rackham has his doubts, and by this next clip, it seems he's willing to express them to -- or in -- Ender's face.

There's a previously released clip that shows Graff giving Ender some additional responsibility. Check that out here. Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1. There's still time to read the book if you haven't already.

We’ve been banging the drum loudly for Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, which is a box-office hit and a possible Oscar contender. But we found a handful of people (outside of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson) who might not be that thrilled with Cuaron’s eye-popping film, which both raised the bar and threw down the gauntlet. Why are they so disgruntled?

Well, because they have science-fiction movies on the horizon, and now they are going to have to contend with Gravity comparisons. No matter what happens, at least in the short term, movies set in or around outer space are going to be compared to Gravity. “Sure, it looks OK, but it’s not Gravity.” Unfair? Maybe. But it’s reality. So what are the five upcoming sci-fi projects that should be a little bit concerned by the success of Cuaron’s Gravity? Let’s discuss.

Star Wars: Episode VII

J.J. Abrams has more than enough to worry about when it comes to Episode VII. He’s attempting to please a disgruntled fan base that has been griping (loudly) since The Phantom Menace landed in theaters with a digital thud. He’s shepherding the most scrutinized film in pre-production at the moment. And he’s trying to rescue a lost franchise with what he’s promising to be practical effects and a sense of “reality.” Now he’s looking at the reality Cuaron’s creating on screen, the seamless recreation of outer space, which doesn’t look like Lucas’ shiny digital worlds. It looks like Gravity was actually filmed in the stratosphere. If I’m Abrams, I’m calling Cuaron’s technical team and asking for assistance … immediately.

Guardians of the Galaxy

As quickly as next month, with Thor: The Dark World, Marvel is going to attempt to take its stories farther away from the recognizability of Earth’s environments. Yes, Kenneth Branagh’s original Thor introduced us to Asgard, but it anchored huge chunks of its action in New Mexico (on a very small set). The Dark World plans to expand the studio’s scope, and movies like Guardians are expected to take that baton and run with it. James Gunn’s movie bands together a team of alien warriors on a series of adventures. But the promise of future stories involving Thanos, Doctor Strange and The Avengers means more action will be set in space … and Marvel’s going to want to compete with the big dogs when it comes to galaxy building. The tone of the Guardians footage screened at Comic-Con suggested a wicked sense of humor. But if Guardians looks like Serenity when compared to Gravity, Marvel fans will have a reason to complain.

Ender’s Game

This one isn’t fair. Gavin Hood’s adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s seminal sci-fi novel is in the can and simply awaiting release while Gravity gobbles up all the metaphorical oxygen at area theaters. And Ender’s just has the unfortunate distinction of being the next sci-fi movie to land in theaters immediately after Cuarons’ masterpiece. Comparisons will be inevitable. Will Hood’s film be able to distance itself in other ways? The good news for Ender’s is that the special effects shown in the trailers do look special, and actors like Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley have the ability to put a movie on their shoulders and elevate it.

Interstellar

We don’t know enough about Christopher Nolan’s next picture to decide yet whether it will be challenged by Cuaron … or the next obvious challenger to the status Gravity recently set. But Nolan’s technical proficiency in movies outside of this Batman trilogy suggest intricate, elaborate storytelling that’s sure to have imaginations spinning. Early word on the 2014 release suggests Interstellar will explore worm holes, time travel, unproven theories regarding gravity fields and rivieting scientific concepts in those realms. Nolan and his team will have to create an environment for his cast, which includes Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain. I’m going out on a limb to say Interstellar will be the next movie we praise as highly as we’re currently raving about Gravity.

Transcendence

We’re already paying close attention to Transcendence because it’s the directorial debut of Nolan disciple (and Oscar-winning cinematographer) Wally Pfister. And similar to Interstellar, the specifics of the project are being kept under wraps. (Nolan taught Pfister well.) This one might be more of a tech-driven thriller, as the official synopsis teases “two leading computer scientists [who] work toward their goal of Technological Singularity, as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain.” Might be more Matrix than Gravity, but if anyone has the ability to push the visual envelope in ways similar to Cuaron, Pfister would be the guy.

It hasn't gone unnoticed -- by me anyway -- that a lot of the footage we've seen from the upcoming feature adaptation of Ender's Game has focused on the threat of alien invasion and the space war side of this story. So I'm especially excited to see the above clip from the film, which focuses on the lead character's training in Battle School, which is actually a big part of the story in Orson Scott Card's book.

Ender's Game is set in the future where gifted children are being sent to a space-set Battle School to train for the anticipated war against an alien race. The story centers on Asa Butterfield's character Ender Wiggin, an exceptionally gifted and compassionate child who proves to be particularly good at strategy, a useful talent at Battle School. As mentioned, a lot of what we've seen in the promos thus far teases the grand and potentially visually spectacular space war. But what about Ender's training at Battle School? That's where the above clip fits in.

Harrison Ford's Colonel Graff points out Ender's exceptional performance in class -- love the futuristic desktop Graff's poking at! -- but also notes Ender's "habit of upsetting his commander." Ender responds flatly that he finds it hard to respect someone just because he outranks them. In another situation, Graff might tell this young soldier to fall in line or pack his bags, but in this story, Graff's among the people trying to sniff out leaders, and it seems like he sees something in Ender that suggests this boy might be better suited running his own Army. Why not give him Dragon Army? They already have the uniforms. I like the dry humor there, as it really suits Ford and could serve to ease some of the tension in this otherwise heavy and occasionally dark story. I also like that these two characters seem to be trying to talk to each other in flat military voices, but there are some subtle hints of emotion coming from both of them. I'm really hopeful that we see the mostly-unspoken connection between these two characters in the film.

It's also worth pointing out that Ford references Bonzo (Moises Arias), Ender's commander. Given what we know about this character from the book (no spoilers, I promise), it should be interesting to see how his story plays out in the film. And I can't wait to see Moises Arias' take on the character. While I'm better familiar with Arias from his role as Sue Heck's adorable boyfriend Matt in ABC's The Middle, our own Kristy Puchko said Arias is "a total scene stealer" in Kings of Summer. Bonzo could be another memorable role for the actor.

And then, of course, there's the mention of Dragon Army, which Graff explains has a history of losing. This scene hints at what could be a slight deviation from the book, as I think the original story has Ender transferring to Rat Army from Bonzo's Salamander Army. Presumably, that plot's being condensed for the sake of the movie, and it's probably a minor deviation, assuming they find other ways for Ender's path to cross with his allies.

Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1. There's still plenty of time to check out the book if you haven't read it already.

The promos for Ender's Game have focused a lot on alien invasion and the war man is preparing to fight in this story, but the photos for the feature adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel tell a different story, as they place a higher emphasis on the preparation aspect and Ender's time in Battle School, as opposed to the impending war. And while we're on the subject of emphasis, does anyone else notice there's been an abundance of Petra in the promotional content lately? Hailee Steinfeld's character is featured right next to the film's star, Asa Butterfield, in the recently released international poster, and she appears at Ender's side in the photo above, as well as in some of the other new pictures MTV shared this week.

Here she is again, working directly in front of Butterfield's Ender, who appears to be leading this team of fellow child-soldiers.

And here's another one, which puts Steinfeld front and mostly-center as she works at a very futuristic looking desk:

Steinfeld put herself on the map with her Oscar nominated performance as Mattie Ross in the True Grit remake. And we'll see her playing the iconic role of Juliet in the upcoming remake of the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet, which arrives next week. With that timing in mind, it's not entirely surprising that Summit might be showcasing Steinfeld a bit more in their promotional content, especially as Ender's Game is set to arrive in theaters November 1.

Steinfeld and Butterfield aren't the only stars of this film. We also have Harrison Ford, who plays Colonel Graff. Here he is, talking to Ender, who looks suited up for zero gravity:

And that brings us to the last pic, which may very well be the most exciting one as it shows us Ender floating in the zero gravity Battle Room. Those of us who've read the book are likely to be especially eager to see these scenes adapted for the film, as they're some of the more exciting moments in Card's book.

Read all about our visit to the Ender's Game set here!

A lot of what we've seen from the Ender's Game promotional content has focused on the threat of an alien war -- the latest TV spot included -- and given the backdrop of this futuristic story, that's not all that surprising. The cast -- which includes Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield -- and the visual effects are two huge selling points for the film. But those who've read Orson Scott Card's novel know there's a bit more to this story than thrilling space battles and apocalyptic alien invasion imagery. Still, the spot sure is exciting. In addition to space battle scenes, a glimpse or two of children floating in zero gravity and some earth-set invasion snippets, the TV spot also includes the sight of a child assuring someone that he'll do everything he can to win this war.

It's another exciting promo to add to the other content we've seen, videos, photos and propaganda posters included. But as a fan of the book, I find myself growing more and more eager to see more glimpses of the training side of this story, as the bulk of the novel's story is less on the war and more on Ender's training, his interactions with his fellow Battle School students and the mental and emotional toll Battle School takes on Ender, who's just a child playing games that aren't games. In terms of my interest in the story and what I loved so much about the book, the space war falls second to Ender's story.

Though a lot of what we've seen from the promotional content has focused on the alien attacks and space war, there have been hints that there's more to the story than a child leading a war against aliens. Take, for example, the calendar photos we shared with you earlier this week, all of which focus on Ender at Battle School, standing among his peers, standing in the Mess Hall, sitting in class and training in the zero-gravity Battle Room. We also know that the Mind Game Ender frequently plays in the book will be featured in the film, though there hasn't been so much as a glimpse of that in the promos, from what I've seen. But that's ok. We've been told it's going to be there, and it's ok that they're not showing us everything in the promos ahead of the film's release. So, I'll remain optimistic and enjoy the shiny visuals we're seeing in these promos, while waiting patiently for another month (and a few days) to see how the film looks.

In related news, in addition to the above TV spot, Summit also released a new International Banner for the film, which shows off some of the cast, including Ford, Butterfield and Kingsley, along with Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin.

Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1.

Those die-hard Ender's Game fans eager for the film to finally make its way into theaters may already be aware that the 2014 calendar for the film has recently become available for sale. The wall calendar includes a number of colorful images from the feature adaptation of Orson Scott Card's popular sci-fi novel. Of course, purchasing a 12-month calendar that focuses on a single movie comes with the risk that you'll find yourself tiring of Ender's Game images by about April. But the bonus of looking at the calendar early is that it includes some new stills from the movie, which doesn't arrive in theaters until later this fall. The above scan, as well as the ones below give us a few new glimpses at Ender's Game. Pictured above is Harrison Ford, who plays Colonel Graff, one of the authorities in charge of a space-set orbiting Battle School where children are training for the approaching war against an alien race. Also pictured is Nonso Anozie, who plays Sergeant Dap.

And pictured below, we have the titular Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) standing in the mess hall. While the background and costumes are all noticeably sci-fi, the sight of a kid standing in the cafeteria, holding his tray and wondering where to sit isn't all that unfamiliar. It's a classic new-kid predicament, no matter the school:

The caption for the above image offers some additional details about this scene:

April's image shows us a glimpse of class time for the kids at Battle school:

Speaking of Bean, the young genius is featured in this small photo on August's page:

And in this photo, Ender is confronting Colonel Graff "for pitting him against his fellow Launchies on the shuttle ride to Battle School."

In Battle school (and even on the way there), pretty much everything that happens is a test, as the authorities are always watching and analyzing the students, trying to figure out which have what it takes to lead. The caption for the above photo also points out that "Major Anderson (Viola Davis) is amused, but resists a desire to challenge her superior's tactics with his young protege."

Here, we have this one, which shows Ender and some of the other Launchies suited up and awaiting their first trip into the zero-gravity Battle Room.

The caption for this next photo is a bit spoilery if you haven't read the book, so read the block-quote after this image with that in mind:

SPOILER ALERT

END SPOILER

The rest of the photos and captions can be seen in the Ender's Game 2014 wall calendar.

In other news, the film, which arrives in theaters November 1, received a PG-13 ratings, which indicates that, like the book, the film won't be entirely little-kid-friendly, despite its focus on kid soldiers. Read all about our trip to the set here, and view one of the recent trailers here.

Check out some other previously released high-res stills from the movie in the gallery below.

Everyone has the recurring childhood daydream that one day someone might show up and tell you that you're extraordinary and destined for great things.In books this might involve some fantastical, fictional location where only the most gifted and special children get to go to achieve said greatness. For Harry Potter, it was Hogwarts. For Ender Wiggin, it's a space-set orbiting Battle School where other kids are preparing to fight a war against an alien race called the Formics. As an avid reader and a child at heart, both fictional locations are high on my list of imaginary worlds I would love to visit in real life-- and, in the case of Battle School, I actually got to go there.

Well, getting to walk through pieces of the Ender's Game movie set is probably the closest I'll ever get to fulfilling that dream, which admittedly, does not go all the way back to my childhood, but about a decade ago when I first read Orson Scott Card's novel. Getting to meet the cast -- which included a rather surreal encounter with Harrison Ford -- speak with the director, and hear the stunt coordinator discuss the challenges of planning and executing the zero gravity scenes was all icing on that very geeky cake.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. For those who haven't read Orson Scott Card's book, Ender's Game is set in the future in an era that has seen one major war with the Formics and is anticipating another. The story follows Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a boy who's selected to attend an orbiting Battle School where other children are training for the coming war. Harrison Ford plays the role of Graff, the colonel who's observing Ender at the Battle School in the hopes that Ender is the one they've been waiting for to lead their army against the Formics.

As much as I'd like to say that my trip to the Ender's Game set began with an International Fleet sponsored launch into space where I was brought aboard the mentioned Battle School and suited up for a tumble through the Zero G Battle Room, it was actually more of a jet flight south last year, courtesy of Summit, to New Orleans where the film was in production. Joined by other members of the press, we were transported to the set and ushered into a conference room, where a tasty continental breakfast was waiting for us. As tempting as the coffee and pastries were, my attention was instantly drawn to the walls, which were all papered with storyboards of the film, revealing black-and-white sketches of many familiar moments from the book, almost as though Ender's Game had been turned into one big not-yet-colored-in comic book.

Now, it needs to be said that this was Spring of 2012. The most we'd seen from the movie by that point were a few vague set photos, so this was our first real look at what they were trying to do for the film. One string of images showed the altercation Ender gets into with another launchie. Another showed Ender in class, learning about Mazer Rackham's battle. And a much more disturbing set of images showed Ender's mind game. If you recall, in the book, the children have the option to play a fantasy mind game on their tablets, which allows them to exercise their logic and decision-making skills as they attempt to overcome whatever challenge and obstacles are presented. The game gives the authorities another way to get into the minds of these kids, analyze their leadership abilities and examine their psyche based on the choices they make with each challenge. Ender becomes determined to get through the game during his time in Battle School, often revisiting it throughout the story.

Part of the game Ender plays throughout the story involves besting a giant. In the storyboards we saw on the walls, there was one set of images that showed Ender as a mouse burrowing himself into the eye of the giant. Even as a sketched illustration, it's a dark and jarring image. So, I can only imagine how they'll make that look for the film, assuming it makes it into the film. Producer Linda McDonough did mention that the fantasy "mind game" would be a part of the movie, though she specified that the altercation between Ender and the other launchie on the shuttle would not. So not everything we saw on the walls was destined to make it to screen, but it was still fascinating to view the storyboards and see how they put some of the book's memorable scenes to image. Once we'd exhausted ourselves eying the artwork on the walls, we served ourselves breakfast and sat at the table where producer Linda McDonough walked us through a slide show of concept art for the film, discussing some of the goals they had for bringing Card's story to to the big screen. As McDonough put it, "The filmmakers involved, we all sat around and thought, 'it probably took people who read this book as a kid to grow up and get enough success in Hollywood to get it made'." Fans have indeed waited decades for this movie to happen, and it's encouraging to hear that it was producer Roberto Orci's favorite book growing up, as I like to think that would have made him extra passionate about doing it justice. Orci, unfortunately, wasn't on set when we were, so we didn't get to speak with him. But listening to McDonough speak about the plans for the movie, it's evident that there was a lot of enthusiasm and optimism that went into the movie, not only in an effort to deliver a great film, but to deliver an adaptation worthy of its source material.

While a big part of Ender's Game is set in space, Earth also plays its part, and one of the things we learned about the futuristic setting on Earth is that the planet is in a "post-oil economy." Concept art revealed pictures of the Wiggin home, which might be described as both modern and earthy, with plants, wood and greenery worked into a home design that seemed natural but very modern. Later during the tour, when we spoke with production designers Sean Haworth and Ben Procter, they spoke a bit about Gavin Hood's vision of the future as it relates to Earth, and as they put it, Gavin believed that "Earth would be a place worth saving." They went on to say that, "It would be a reason for everybody to make these kinds of commitments in leaving family behind and going off and sacrificing your life to save this beautiful place. Otherwise what's the point?"

It makes sense, when you consider the alternative, which might be a more dystopian future where earth is on its last legs. As the production designers put it, the kids need something to be homesick about and they need a reason to fight. A dystopian vision of the future probably wouldn't do that, but a planet that's healthy and thriving might. They also mentioned working with Audi on the design for a futuristic vehicle.

The art we saw of the Formic worlds had its own kind of beauty in a strange way. In the book, the Formics are nicknamed "Buggers," which might be a derogatory term for the enemy, but looking at the designs for some of the Formic settings, the term "bug" seems fitting, as there are peaky looking ant-hill-like structures and dark, webby backdrops that set the scene for humanity's enemy. What we saw of the alien worlds was definitely alien in its strangeness, but there's an organic look to it, as though everything in their world comes from natural resources. I think Linda mentioned that their ships were designed to look like they were made from from resin and saliva. There's definitely beauty to it all, in its own alien way, and that was intentional, as it helps us understand the bigger picture in this story. As the production designers put it, "War is the tragic part of the whole thing. It's not just a simplistic enemy against us." It sounds like we're meant to see that the Formics have their own way of life, their own culture and maybe even their own artwork. All of that was kept in mind when designing the Formic settings.

McDonough mentioned that Ender's Game might be the largest independently financed film ever put together. Going the independent route in producing the film not only ensured that it got made, but it sounds like the darker nature of the story might have been too big of a stepping stone for some of the larger studios, from a marketing standpoint.

They looked at how The Hunger Games performed at the box office, and it sounds like that was further encouragement for Ender's Game in reflecting the source material's darker tone in the film.

As McDonough explained it, getting the movie made began with a pitch at Cannes, during which they showed a computer-made teaser. She showed us the CGI video of a kid suiting up, set to dramatic music, and the following words spoken between two unseen people:

The promo sells the concept well, and had they redone it with actual footage of Asa Butterfield suiting up as Ender, it could've made an exciting teaser for the film. Alas, it was just for the pitch, but who knows? Maybe it'll be included in the bonus features on the inevitable Blu-ray.

After filling our eyes with concept art and commentary on the plans they had for the adaptation, we were primed and ready to see the set. We left the office area and headed into the warehouse,where we were treated to the sight of a huge green screen and a large wooden loft platform area. Across the floor, a space ship sat in the corner. We were told that this ship was Mazer Rackham's ship for the first war. Seeing it set aside reminded me of the old Battlestar Galactica Vipers that were on display in the pilot episode of the series. It's a relic from an old war, but one that isn't over. All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again… Our set tour also included a partial Battle School corridor, and the kids' dorm, which consisted of neat rows of metal bunk beds much like you might expect to see in futuristic military barracks. The beds had stiff foam-like mattresses and there were little stools that slid into the walls, where there were also cabinets for them to store their things. Everything was very neat and tidy, but there was a slightly used to look to things, particularly with the walls and floors in the corridor, giving off the impression that the battle school is maintained well but has been around for a while, having been subjected to many kid-sized hands and feet throughout its years of existence.

There was also a very creepy medical operation room, with mechanical arms and at least four operation utensils rigged up and pointed at the place where the patients' head would be positioned. Without giving away any major book spoilers, I will point out -- to those who have read the book and recall a certain character getting hurt -- that I have my suspicions as to who will end up laying on that table.

We also got to see part of the Eros set. In the book, Eros is a former Formics asteroid, which was taken over after the first war. What we saw of the set was unsurprisingly very cave-like and naturally alien in design, but at this point, man has since has taken over, adding their own technology so that they can use the asteroid for Command school. The setting comes into play in the third act of the story and - to put it intentionally vaguely for spoiler-purposes - includes an orchestra-like setting that's used in military operations.

The scene we watched being filmed was on the Eros set, and i got the impression Ender had only just arrived there recently, based on the conversations that took place in both scenes. It also seems like Ender has worked his way up the ranks by this point in the story. First, we watched Asa Butterfield and Nonso Anonzie, who plays Sergeant Dap in the story, meet in the cave-like corridor. Ender tells Dap he didn't expect to see him there, to which Dap responds, "Someone's got to keep you in check, sir."

The next scene shot was set in the control room overlooking the simulation area on Eros. There's a table in the center of the room and big window that allows the people in that room to see down onto the sim area. The press was situated on the floor, so we were looking up at that big window, which was still being painted on the outside, even as they were filming. We could see Ford up there, but it was easier for us to watch the monitor to see the camera's straight-shot view into the window and what was going on inside.

When Ford arrived on set, one of the first things he did was thank someone - possibly his stand-in - before getting ready to shoot the scene. In this part of the film, Graff is explaining to Ender about their current location. As he and Ender look through the window, Graff notes that the place isn't very hospitable, and goes on to tell him that they took this place from the Formics twenty-seven years after Rackham's victory. They "flushed them out" like they were flushing rats from a sewer and "drove them back to their home planet." They did a couple of takes of that, and I think at one point, Ford slipped up a line, but for the most part, each take was the same for the actors. They did change up how they shot the scene, slowing down the zoom to the window and at least one time, shooting the scene without zooming into the window.

And that pretty much covered the morning portion of our visit to the Ender's Game set. In the next report, I'll share some comments from the cast and director Gavin Hood, and talk about the hand and eye contact I had with Harrison Ford.

A day after the final poster for Ender's Game landed online and just under three months ahead of the film's arrival in theaters comes the final trailer for the feature adaptation of Orson Scott Card's beloved sci-fi novel. Fans in attendance of the Summit panel at Comic-Con got a glimpse of the footage revealed in the video above, which shows off the impressive cast, including Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld and Viola Davis.

Ender's Game takes place in the distant future when man is between wars against an alien race called the Formics. Gifted children are recruited to attend a space-set battle school where they train to fight the approaching second war. Butterfield plays Ender Wiggin, an underdog of a character who proves to have a knack for Battle School. Ford plays Colonel Graff, one of the Imperial Fleet authorities tasked with keeping an eye on the recruits. Graff is especially hopeful that Ender Wiggin is the child they've been looking for to lead mankind toward victory.

The latest trailer begins with devastation, as Ford's voice reveals that the original alien invasion nearly destroyed us. "They will be back," he says, ominously. A picturesque scene reveals a figure on a dock and a very futuristic looking car pulling up. It's a stark contrast from the next shot, which is of an alien looking landscape where a very tiny figure can be seen walking. Graff tells Ender he sees things in a way they can't. "You will be the one to save mankind," he says. There are glimpses of different space crafts, some alien, some that look like IF ships. We get a look at Graff and Ben Kingsley's Mazer Rackham talking about how Ender's not ready, but then cut to Ender leading other kid soldiers through a maneuver that involves blasting a ship from below, cutting up through ice and demolishing the ship. Viola Davis' Gwen Anderson says she's never seen anyone do that. There's something the adults aren't telling Ender. Cut to Ender in his flash suit and then at about 1:17 we get to see people floating in zero gravity. Is that the battle room? There's another shot of it a couple of seconds later when Anderson questions whether they'll be anything left of Ender after it's all over. Graff's response is to question whether or not it would matter if there's nothing left of anything, which I think implies that Ender's life or sanity may be the price that has to be paid for mankind to have any kind of future. Ender seems to be determined to finish the war. The trailer ends with a swarm of ships and Ender counting down to one major blast. It's exciting stuff and the trailer offers some key moments that indicate the story about a brilliant and compassionate boy won't get buried in a lot of flashy special effects. Here's hoping.

With the focus on the war, the trailer is vague on the actual battle school training part of the story, which makes up a good portion of the source material. I'll be curious to see if the proportion of school to war is drastically skewed in the film, or if that's just the emphasis they wanted to place on the trailer. Another thing the trailer doesn't reveal is the "mind game" Ender plays while at Battle School. Those who've read the book know that one of the many ways the IF authorities get into the heads of their soldiers is through a tablet game referred to as the mind game. It's sort of an adventure game that presents various challenges and obstacles to the player. How the player attempts to get past the obstacles gives the authorities some indication of what's going on with them mentally and emotionally. When I talked to producer Roberto Orci and director Gavin Hood about the mind game, they revealed to me that they used a combination of animation and motion capture to create the mind game scenes:

Read the full interview here. Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1.

Ahead of the Ender's Game panel at Comic-Con today, I had the chance to sit down with director Gavin Hood and producer Roberto Orci to chat about the adaptation of Orson Scott Card's popular sci-fi novel. In addition to discussing the task of bringing Ender Wiggin to life for the adaptation, Orci and Hood spoke about the dark tone of the story, the violence and how they adapted the "mind" game that's played in the book.

Ender's Game is set in the future when man is preparing for a second war against an alien force. Gifted children are recruited to go to a space-set orbiting battle school where they're training for the approaching war. The story follows Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a particularly gifted child who may be the one to lead humanity to victory. If you've read the book, you may recall that Ender plays a game on his tablet, during which he has to get through various challenges and make different choices in an effort to progress through the game. Like many other aspects of Battle School, the people in charge, including Harrison Ford's Colonel Graff, use the game as a way to study the students' psyche, evaluating the decisions they make while playing, to analyze their mindset. Hood and Orci talked about setting up that part of the movie through a blend of animation and motion capture. It sounds like we'll see less of it than what's in the book, but it will be in there.

They also had some interesting things to say about the violence and the tone of the story. Ender is set up as an underdog from the start, and he's no stranger to being bullied. Things come to a boil between Ender and one particular antagonist, and it sounds like that scene will also make it into the movie, though it's unclear just how much of that scene we'll actually see, as Hood also discussed not wanting violence that's indulgent. Both he and Orci agree that they were aiming to find a balance between spectacle and thought-provoking.

Can you talk about your hopes for bringing the book to the screen and kind of capturing everything thats in the book, but also making a really great movie?

Roberto Orci - Well, the first rule of a book - you know, the fans have kept it alive for years, is - not to betray them. So, I think goal one is let’s be true to the book. I think a lot of the development of this movie languished for a lot of years, because the proposals for what the movie should be strayed wildly from the book, and yet, the book was a challenge to studios because it’s very nontraditional. It’s an interesting structure. It’s adult themes, young protagonists and so, once you get past the hurdle of making sure it’s true to the book and that the fans like it, then it became, how do you just make it a cool movie and just milk everything that’s in there and that’s where Gavin’s script started that process and then, in actually directing the movie and making it, it surpassed my expectations of what could be done and how it would look.

Gavin Hood - Thanks, buddy. I’m glad you feel that way. We nearly died making this movie, but, no, Bob’s right. It was a challenge and I think we kind of hit a moment in time where the technology has got to the place where we can actually pull off the zero G, I mean visual effects technology plus amazing stunt work by our stunt coordinator Garrett Warren, plus the Cirque du Soleil performers that he hired to help train the kids in really graceful amazing movements. The other thing that the producers gave us was the opportunity to put the kids through real training. They went to space camp. They were trained properly by the Cirque du Soleil performers. They spent time with army drill sergeants. All of that preparation, so when they get on the set, they are physically prepared and they understand what the environment of space is and so we could focus on the emotional performances between the characters and not being, “How does this harness work?”, you know, you’ve got to have that down when you’ve got kids hanging on a harness and you want them to interact as if they’re not. They better not be worried about how they’re spinning. They have to gave that work down, so there was a lot of committed work from a lot of departments to make it real.

Orci - And that goes back to your question. Our hope is, it’s hard to have a big, big movie that’s actually about something that you care about, that’s actually about something smart, that’s actually challenging. So, we can both, you can eat your popcorn, but you stop munching occasionally to actually hear what’s going on and think about it and then you get back your popcorn. That’s our goal.

Hood - Have a great deal of fun and then have something to talk about after. That’s our goal.

How dark does it get, especially by comparison to the book? Some of the things that happen and even just the overall theme of the story of kids being sent to space and training for war. Can you talk about the tone of the movie and what you’re aiming for?

Hood -Yeah, I mean, I think that all those elements of bullying, which is a great theme in the world right now, and how kids deal with being bullied, which we know is so powerful in the book, that’s in the movie. But what I try to do as a filmmaker in terms of handling questions of violence, is I don’t believe in showing violence for violence’s sake and repetitive violence. For me, what I have found is an act of violence can be so sudden, what’s more interesting is the aftermath. And so, our movie is not, I hope, in any way, reveling in violence. I don’t want it to be a violent film, but the effect of the moment of violence on the psyche of the protagonist and the people around him is profound as it is in the book. It has to be, and so those key scenes in the book still seem - Bonzo in the shower are absolutely in the movie, and they shock in their suddenness, but they are not in any way indulgent.

I’m not interested in showing blood flying around the room or any of that. What’s more important is to see how these young character handle it and that’s why I think it’s an important film. And families, as a parent, I want my kids to go to a movie and not be spoken down to, deal with difficult themes, but be able to talk about it, not celebrate that, just talk about it. And at the same time, as Bob says, get back to your popcorn and have some fun, because all this battle room stuff is so wonderful and then there are moments of shock and if we can achieve that and find that balance between spectacle and thought-provoking material, then I think we’ve got a great movie. That’s our goal.

Well, that brings me to my next thought about the movie, or my hope, I guess. One of the things I love so much about Ender’s Game, Ender is very intelligent and strategic, and also extremely compassionate and so much of that is in his head, and then there’s the little things that he does and the decisions that he makes. How is it in adapting this character to bring out those traits in him?

Well, you’re raising the question of how the film medium reveals characters traits as opposed to what you can do in a novel, right? Yeah, a novel is able to tell you what is going on inside a kid’s head, and it does so magnificently, but what the novel doesn’t have, that we have as an advantage, is real actors, really reacting. So, in adapting, you try to structure scenes that create a situation in which a character’s reaction speaks to what they’re thinking and feeling, without actually saying, “I am now thinking this,” in some voiceover way. “I am now feeling very sorry for myself.” You see the moment and if you create a scene where, in the book, unfortunately, you don’t see the actors. In the movie you see the actors. So, they’re two different mediums and the idea is to try and generate the same feeling in the audience watching the film as the feeling that was generated by the author in the readers of the book, but you’re using different tools to do that.

And you think Asa pulls that off?

Hood - I do. I do. I’ve no doubt whatsoever and I think him and Harrison together pull it off magnificently and Hailee Steinfeld too, all of these actors. I mean you’ve got Sir Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis. These are A-list actors delivering really nuanced performance and these kids rise to that occasion. The one thing I feel confident in is I think these actors deliver. I’m proud of their performances and the dedication that all of them had to this project. They loved this story. All of those young actors.

Orci - And Asa, you can’t fake being intelligent and compassionate. He’s truly both. So, in addition to actually being a good actor. I mean, that was like, how are we going to find Ender? Where are we going to look?

Hood - And we looked at a lot of people and that’s what Bob’s saying. You can’t fake intelligence. So, we were lucky. In the end, we found the right actors for these roles and it finally came together, but we looked long and hard.

How much of the the mind game, is going to be in the movie?

Orci It’s in the movie.

Is it? I don’t think we’ve seen anything from it.

Orci No, you haven’t.

Hood - We have to hold a few things back. Some guys come in here like, “Why’d you show us so much?” and others are, “Why didn’t you show us more?”

Orci - It’s beautiful what they did.

Did you do like, is it CG? Is it animated?

Hood - It’s animated.

Orci - Motion capture.

Hood - We did motion capture.

Orci - It’s a blend of stuff.

Hood - We did motion capture, put on suits, ran around the room. They filmed it in a virtual world. Once you’ve captured that motion you can film what you captured digitally and then we handed that off to an amazing animation company in Barcelona, who’ve done the most beautiful work. Obviously, we did a lot of drawings and how's it going to be? And drawings of the mouse and all those things, but it is a shorter version than in the book, because the whole story of the book is compressed into about a one year period as opposed to happening over 18 years.

You know, we’re kind of in this franchise era. Have you guys talked at all about that might be beyond Ender’s Game?

Hood - Just want to finish this one.

Orci - We always are superstitious about counting sequels before they hatch and we’d like not to save anything, as a discipline, just make a good movie, put everything we can into that movie. We’re not even done with this one. So, we feel like it’s jinxing ourselves to discuss anything, but obviously you point out, there’s a series of books, and if we do our jobs right and people like this movie and there’s an appetite for it, then of course, there will be an appropriate time to see if we’re the right guys for the next job.

The big-budget adaptation of Ender's Game is already running into its share of controversy, with the studio separating itself from the anti-gay views of the book's writer, Orson Scott Card. And while the road for a big-screen Ender's Game has undeniably been paved by The Hunger Games, which is also a story of children put in violent situations, the filmmakers are very, very aware that you don't exactly want to see kids onscreen getting slaughtered. When Kelly caught up with them today ahead of their big Hall H panel, director Gavin Hood-- who was speaking to her along with producer Roberto Orci-- explained how they plan to handle walking that line:

Ender's Game doesn't have an official rating yet, but it's not hard to imagine the studio aiming for a PG-- something a little more accessible than the PG-13 Hunger Games series-- so you can see why they're treading lightly around the issue of violence. And based on the reports from people who saw the footage in Hall H today, they're not missing anything in terms of making the battle scenes perfectly intense anyway. Click here to read all the details from Kelly's live blog, and check back later for the rest of her interview with Gavin Hood and Roberto Orci. Ender's Game comes to theaters November 1 this year.

Summit is doubling up on futuristic adaptations with their SDCC panel this year, giving fans a look at both Ender's Game and Divergent. We're covering each film with a separate live blog. This is the live-blog for Ender's Game, which is based on a novel by Orson Scott Card and stars Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as Ender Wiggin, a gifted child who's recruited to attend a space-set Battle School where man is preparing other gifted children to fight in the anticipated war against an alien race called the Formics. Set to appear on the panel are stars Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin, as well as producer Robert Orci and director Gavin Hood.

Here's the full description for the panel.

We're waiting for the EG panel to come out. In the meantime, Chris Hardwick has decided to stay on stage and interact with the stagehands changing out water bottles.

4:39 p.m. PST - Chris Hardwick starts announcing the panelists. Roberto Orci is filming the panel from up on stage, while Gavin Hood talks about how excited he is to be here. He's never seen anything like this. Asa Butterfield comes out onto the stage, along with Hailee Steinfeld. Hailee looks adorable. Harrison Ford comes out and, unsurprisingly, the crowd goes nuts. Ford picks his own seat and they move his name tag.

Clip time! Exclusive footage!

Alien invasion. Alien ships flying. Destruction and explosions. "There's greatness in you Ender. The world needs you." Cut to an eye. Big alien ship. Shuttle flying out into space. Rackham says he's not ready. Ender standing at the controls giving orders. "I've never seen everyone do this." Rackham asks Graff if he told him the truth. Glimpse of what looks like it could be battle room. People floating around. Ender waving his hands around controlling things while looking out at space and a giant planet (not Earth). Counts down three-two-one. Now!

4:45 - Hailee says this is the first time she's had to train for a film. She says they went to space camp in Alabama. They went through boot camp where they learned how to march and salute. They learned different cadences. She loved it. Harrison Ford says he was here last year. Hardwick asks him what drew him to the film. Ford says Graff is not so much Ender's mentor as he is Ender's manipulator. Hardwick apologizes profusely to which Ford jokingly says, in a dramatic voice, "I am never coming back here." He goes on to talk about the complex moral issues in the story. He talks about the book coming out 28 years ago and the issues of today, war and the manipulation of young people for their value of soldiers because of the their special skills and conceptual freedom is something that was really complex and interesting to him. He was delighted to be involved with playing a character that wrestled with these concerns and brought them into public consciousness.

4:49 - Hood says Ender's Game is a great, complex story. It's not a simple battle of good vs. evil or a just a big special effects movie. The characters aren't simple. They wrestle with their own perception of good vs. evil. He says he was blessed to have material that addresses issues that are profoundly important today. He talks about actors not being able to fake intelligence. Searching for the right Ender Wiggin took a while. Butterfield isn't sure how he got over working with Han Solo and Ben Kingsley. Hardwick suggests that Butterfield did it because he's British and they're slightly better than us.

4:52 - First fan question is about the Orson Scott Card controversy. Orci takes this question says they decided to use the attention the controversy has gotten to defend some of the LGTB community's rights. Talks about the efforts of all of the people involved in making the movie. The message of the book is tolerance, compassion and empathy. He says they're happy to embrace the controversy to say that they support LGTB rights.

4:54 - The fan from the Divergent panel who stepped up to ask a question about Ender's Game earlier has returned. He got a big applause from the crowd and asked about themes from the movie. Gavin Hood talks about leadership, how you lead others and how you lead yourself. He talks about moral position and translating those themes to the film. If he had one goal, it was to be true to the spirit of the story and the film.

4:57 - The cast got to keep a futuristic "wash kit" from the set. Fan asks Harrison Ford, "If Han Solo and Indiana Jones were to meet..." Hardwick was about to cut him off but then he said, "Oh, just do it, I want to know too." Question is, "Lightsabers aside, what would be there first words to each other?" Ford says, "Hi. How are you?" and then just sort of shakes his head. Next fan comes up and announces he's from Brazil. Hardwick remembers him from something her last year. Fan finally gets around to asks Ford a question. He asks if he thinks Han Solo would be a good soldier for Graff's army. Ford says he doesn't think Han Solo would be a good soldier in anybody's army. He's what people refer to as an independent contractor.

And the panel ends with the video. Couple things I forgot to mention earlier. There's a snippet in the video where Graf is asked what happens if there's nothing left of the boy. Ford answers, "What does it matter if there's nothing left at all," which I kind of think implies that Ender could be the price that needs to be paid to save mankind. We also see Ender ordering his soldiers to shoot below the ice. There's a quick scene where shots are fired upward through a mess of ice, hitting an alien spaceship that's hovering above it. Pretty exciting stuff!

Among the films featured at Comic-Con this year is Ender's Game, which is not only set to be featured in a panel, but is also on display through a walk through "fan experience," which offers a much more vivid preview of the film that's set to arrive in theaters this fall. After picking up my badge and getting some much needed sustenance after a day of traveling, I officially kicked off my 2013 Comic-Con experience by checking out HGTV and Summit's Ender's Game Fan experience. Set up across the street from the convention center at the Hilton Gaslamp in San Diego, the fan experience features various rooms that fans can walk through to look at props and set pieces from the movie, including the Wiggin household, the launch ship, a motion view of the battle room, the student's classroom and bunks.

Set up away from the convention center, this Experience does require a walk across the street, which might seem like a mild inconvenience, but given the amount of space this multi-room display takes up and how packed the convention floor tends to be, separating this experience from all of the other convention foot traffic might help in allowing people a chance to really look around at all of the props, sets and other things featured in the various rooms.

Ender's Game is set in the future when man is preparing for the second war against an alien race called the Formics. Gifted children are recruited to attend a space-set battle school where they're training to fight in the war. The International Fleet is the global government organization running the program, and you can see their logo centered between the two screens in the photo below:

One of the first rooms we get to see is a look at the Wiggin family living room.

Based on that set alone, the future doesn't look all that different from the present day, but we do get a look at the Wiggin kids' photos on the mantle, and some of their outfits:

And in another room, the launch ship set is on display...

And here's a look part of the set of the kids' futuristic looking bunks. You can see the beds on both sides and a closet in the center, which holds their flash suits, helmet and what few personal effects they might have.

We also got to sit in the classroom and check out the very futuristic desks the kids use, including a much more complex mouse.

And we get an up close look at the flash suit and flash gun. These are the outfits that the kids wear when floating around in the zero gravity Battle Room. They use the flash gun to freeze each others' suits.

And speaking of zero gravity, one of the cooler visuals at the experience was a moving view of the Battleroom. Check that out in the video below.

Looks like it could be real, doesn't it?

The experience leaves off with a peek at the 3D printer used in the movie (and information on how you might be able to win it) and there's also set to be a feature that allows fans to have a photo of themselves integrated with the highly anticipated Battle Room. Unfortunately, that part wasn't set up for us to try out this evening, but it'll hopefully be up and running when the exhibit is open to SDCC attendees. Those who walk through the experience should also receive a set of Ender's Game dog tags.

Part of the process of anticipating a new movie is looking at video and photos, both of which are also on display on screens and posters throughout the exhibit, but the Ender's Game fan experience takes previewing to the next level, allowing fans an up close look at costumes, props and sets that will actually be featured in the movie. It's a pretty cool opportunity for those who want a peek at some of the items featured in the film. If you're at Comic-Con this week and you're looking forward to Ender's Game, try to make time for it. There's also the panel, which is set to take place Thursday.

And for those who can't be there, here are some more photos...

Orson Scott Card's controversial views about gay marriage and homosexuality in general are not new. He's been expressing them for years, in fact. But with the feature adaptation of Card's novel Ender's Game arriving in theaters this fall, and set to be promoted at Comic-Con in San Diego next week, the writer and the film are making headlines as some are calling for a boycott of the movie in protest of the writer's views. Summit-Lionsgate seems to have distanced themselves from Card while promoting the film. For example, they they reference the best-selling book on the poster, but make no mention of Card's name. And it's also worth pointing out that he's not among the panelists promoting the film at Comic-Con next week. Today, Lionsgate Entertainment approached the subject more directly, issuing the following statement about their take on Card's outspoken views on homosexuality and their plans to host a benefit premiere as one of the ways they can support LGBT causes.

Lionsgate's response, which notes their support of the LGBT community through their attachments to certain films, and states that they don't agree with Card's views, comes just days after Card issued his own response to the controversy, which was making headlines due to Geeks OUT's call to boycott the film.

It's a tricky subject, particularly for those of us who disapprove of Card's views but appreciate his book, and were/are looking forward to Ender's Game. It forces us to ask ourselves if it's some kind of betrayal or act of hypocrisy to want to see the movie even if we disagree with Card's views on marriage and homosexuality. Especially when we take into account the point Lionsgate made about Card's personal views on this issue having nothing to do with the subject matter of the story, which is set in the future and follows a gifted child who is equal parts brilliant and compassionate.

With the above said, just as Card has a right to speak his mind on his own personal political and religious beliefs, people have a right to disagree with those beliefs and to show their disapproval with their wallets if that's the choice they want to make. But it does raise an interesting question about where to draw that line. And again, it comes down to personal choice as to what movies you would choose to see or not see based on the political or religious beliefs of the people involved in them. Of course, that issue gets more complicated when you consider that supporting or not supporting a film affects more than just one person. And then there are those who will separate their personal beliefs on political and social issues from how they choose which movies to see, which is also a personal choice.

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It all starts again on Wednesday July 17th. On that day thousands upon thousands of nerds from all around the globe will fly, drive, bus, or slowly jog down to San Diego, California where they will be able to attend the annual geekathon known as Comic-Con. And every year Hollywood follows right behind them. Panels for upcoming blockbuster films are not only packed with some of the most famous actors of all time, but fans are regularly treated to exclusive footage that will never be shown elsewhere. And today we get our first look at exactly what will be on display.

The official San Diego Comic-Con website has launched the programming schedule for this year's Wednesday and Thursday dates. While it used to be Twilight that would be the main focus of the first full day of festivities, this year it's been replaced on the throne by two other hotly-anticipated novel adaptations: the Shaillene Woodley-starring Divergent and long-awaited big screen version of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Other goodies for movie fans include a first official look at Terry Gilliam's sci-fi piece Zero Theorem, the buzzed about space-set thriller Europa Report, and the Dreamworks Animation panel.

While there is definitely some good stuff coming out of the film world, it's the TV stuff that may have the biggest highlights of the day. The beloved BBC series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, will be coming to San Diego Comic-Con for the first time, while Michael C. Hall and the folks over at Dexter will be making their final visit. Other big panels include Wilfred, Psych, Hannibal, Workoholics, and Beauty and the Beast.

Check out the full schedule below and keep checking back over the next few days through Sunday as the rest of the schedule is revealed!

Intelligence

Stars Josh Holloway (Lost), Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time), and Marg Helgenberger (CSI) and executive producers Michael Seitzman (North Country), René Echevarria (Terra Nova, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and Tripp Vinson discuss the new CBS dramatic thriller. Holloway plays Gabriel, a high-tech intelligence operative enhanced with a supercomputer microchip in his brain. With this implant, Gabriel is the first human ever to be connected directly into the worldwide information grid and have complete access to Internet, WiFi, telephone, and satellite data. He can hack into any data center and access key intel in the fight to protect the United States from its enemies. Leading the elite government cybersecurity agency created to support him is Director Lillian Strand (Helgenberger), a straightforward and efficient boss who oversees the unit's missions. Strand assigns Riley Neal (Ory), a Secret Service agent, to protect Gabriel from outside threats, as well as from his appetite for reckless, unpredictable behavior and disregard for protocol. As the first supercomputer with a beating heart, Gabriel is the most valuable piece of technology the country has ever created and is the U.S.'s secret weapon. Join the cast and producers for an exclusive viewing of the first episode, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Debra Birnbaum, president and editor-in-chief, TV Guide magazine.

Thursday July 18, 2013 10:00am - 11:00am

Ballroom 20

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Featuring Kevin Eastman

A special discussion about all things TMNT featuring co-creator Kevin Eastman! Join Eastman and other members of the IDW Publishing TMNT creative brain trust, including editor Bobby Curnow and writer Tom Waltz, for what promises to be one shell of a fun and informative time!

Thursday July 18, 2013 10:00am - 11:00am

Room 9

Hasbro: Transformers Prime Beast Hunters

Members of the Hasbro and Hasbro Studios team as well as special guests give fans a peek behind the curtain of the popular animated series currently airing on the Hub TV Network. Attendees will learn details about the upcoming epic conclusion of the award-winning series, including the Predacons Rising DVD launching in October and a TV movie event airing on the Hub.

Thursday July 18, 2013 11:00am - 12:00pm

Room 25ABC

Star-Crossed

Stars Matt Lanter (90210, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights), and Grey Damon (Secret Circle, Nine Lives of Chloe King), along with executive producers Adele Lim (One Tree Hill), Meredith Averill (The Good Wife), Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (Mission Impossible, Alias), and Scott Rosenberg (Gone In 60 Seconds, Con Air) invite you to get a first look at the futuristic epic romance tale, Star-Crossed. When an spacecraft crash-landed in Emery's (Teegarden) small town when she was only 6, whether the aliens came in peace or with more sinister intentions didn't matter: a fierce battle erupted as humans fought for control over their new rivals, an alien species called the Atrians. In the midst of the conflict, Roman (Lanter), a 6-year-old Atrian boy, found his way to a shed behind Emery's house, where she protected him from harm. In their brief time together, Emery and Roman forged a deep bond, but the authorities wasted no time tracking Roman down and capturing him. Emery has grown up believing that Roman was killed that day. Ten years later, in 2024, the Atrians have been acclimated to life on Earth, but they are interred in a heavily guarded camp known as the Sector to keep them separate from humans. Now, for the first time, a group of Atrian teens will enroll in a suburban human high school, with the goal of testing the feasibility of human/alien integration. The eyes of the nation and the whole world are fixed on this historical social experiment, an endeavor fraught with suspicion and fear. In the mayhem of the first day, Emery is amazed to learn that Roman was not killed by the authorities and is, in fact, one of the Atrian students. Their childhood bond is quickly rekindled. In a school and a society that distrusts everything about the Atrians, Emery and Roman have found each other again. However, their relationship is threatened by the small-mindedness of their respective communities and the political agendas of people in power. While the world around them rages with anger and prejudice, their bond becomes increasingly strong and increasingly dangerous. As an epic Romeo and Juliet romance unfolds, a violent encounter between their two families could threaten their relationship. Can Roman and Emery's love-and peace between the species-survive? The cast and producers offer an exclusive first look at the series, followed by a panel discussion.

Thursday July 18, 2013 11:00am - 12:00pm

Ballroom 20

DC Entertainment: All Access

At DC Entertainment, there's never been a better time to be a comics fan! Find out what DC's top talent is has been up to! With Brain Buccellato (Flash), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Derek Fridolfs (Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Li'l Gotham), Adam Hughes (Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan), Geoff Johns (Aquaman, Justice League, Justice League of America), Jeff Lemire (Green Arrow, Justice League Dark), Gail Simone (Batgirl, The Movement), Tom Taylor (Injustice: Gods Among Us), and more!

Thursday July 18, 2013 11:30am - 12:30pm

Room 6DE

Masters of the Web

Some of the most prominent and influential film pundits on the web discuss the film industry, writing for film online, film fandom, and a whole lot more with a special focus on the world of horror this year. Moderated by the director and writer of the upcoming Lionsgate film You're Next, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett. Panelists include Ryan Turek (ShockTillYouDrop.com), Evan Dickson (Bloody-Disgusting.Com), Grae Drake (RottenTomatoes.Com), Heather Wixson (DreadCentral.Com), Lawrence Raffel (FearNet.com), James "Jimmy O" Oster (JoBlo.com), and hosted by John Campea (AMC Theatres). AMC is generously providing free movies passes to all attendees of the panel this year!

Thursday July 18, 2013 11:30am - 12:30pm

Room 24ABC

Dreamworks Animation Filmmaker Focus

Join chief creative officer Bill Damaschke and directors David Soren (Turbo), Rob Minkoff (Peabody & Sherman), and Dean DeBlois (How to Train Your Dragon 2) as they discuss putting a great story through the animation process and onto the screen. Moderated by Anthony Breznican (Entertainment Weekly).

Thursday July 18, 2013 11:45am - 12:45pm

Room 6A

Hasbro: Transformers 30th Anniversary

One of pop culture's most prolific brands kicks off its 30th anniversary celebration at Comic-Con International! Join members of the Transformers brand and design team to celebrate the legacy of "Robots in Disguise" and get a "More Than Meets The Eye" first look at the Thrilling 30 line of special-edition action figures. Transformers team members will also host a Q&A for your burning Transformers questions!

Thursday July 18, 2013 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Room 25ABC

Batman: Arkham Origins

Witness the next installment in the blockbuster videogame franchise. Developed by WB Games Montréal, Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City's most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crimefighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships. Get the latest reveals from a panel headed by WB Games Montréal creative director Eric Holmes and actors Roger Craig Smith (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite), the voices of Batman and the Joker, respectively. Batman: Arkham Origins will be released worldwide on October 25.

Thursday July 18, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Room 6BCF

Dark Horse: (Super)Powered by Creators

The latter half of 2012 saw the return of two of Dark Horse's classic characters, Ghost and X, the appearance of new faces like Michael Avon Oeming's The Victories and Francesco Francavilla's The Black Beetle, and the reimagination a hero from yesteryear, Captain Midnight! Join Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson, PR director Jeremy Atkins, and a cast of the industry's top talent, including Joe Casey (Catalyst, Sex), Francesco Francavilla (The Black Beetle), Duane Swierczynski (X, Two Past Midnight), Joshua Williamson (Captain Midnight, Masks and Mobsters), Tim Seeley and Mike Norton (Revival, The Occultist), along with comics newcomer Donny Cates (Buzzkill), for a look at an exciting new cast of characters!

Thursday July 18, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Room 23ABC

Marvel: House of Ideas

Love having the best comics in the industry on your mobile devices? Want to know how Marvel stays on the cutting edge of technology while bringing you what you love? Want to learn more about Infinite Comics? Well, this panel is for you, True Believer! Get exciting news from Ryan Penagos (executive editorial director of digital), C. B. Cebulski (SVP, creator and content development), and Arune Singh (director of communications) on what's happening with the Marvel Comics App, Marvel Dot Com, Marvel's vast social media presence, and more in this can't-miss panel!

Thursday July 18, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Room 7AB

USA Network's Psych

For the fifth year running, cable TV's most beloved fake psychic detective series is bringing its signature brand of humor, pop culture nostalgia and delicious flavor to Comic-Con. Fans will get a unique, interactive peek behind the pineapple as the show's creative team discuss Psych's long-anticipated musical episode and upcoming season, share exclusive video content, and take audience questions galore. The panel, moderated by Psych guest star and ‘80s icon and fan favorite Cary Elwes (Pierre Despereaux), features stars James Roday (Shawn Spencer), Dulé Hill (Burton "Gus" Guster), Maggie Lawson (Juliet O'Hara), Tim Omundson (Carlton Lassiter), Kirsten Nelson (Chief Karen Vick), and Corbin Bernsen (Henry Spencer), as well as producers Steve Franks (creator and executive producer), Kelly Kulchak (executive producer), and Chris Henze (executive producer). Hilarious hijinks are highly likely to ensue.

Thursday July 18, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Ballroom 20

Europa Report

At the movies, it seems there's so much science fiction, but so little science. Sebastian Cordero's Europa Report seeks to change that. The film depicts a near-future crewed mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, seeking evidence for life in an ocean beneath the moon's icy surface. The movie uses current science to tell a story of discovery and danger. This panel features the film's crew and cast, alongside scientists involved with a NASA concept for a real robotic spacecraft, the Europa Clipper, designed to investigate the mysteries of Europa, including whether it has the elements to support life. Participants include Sebastian Cordero (director, Rage and Chronicles), Bear McCreary (composer, Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead), producer Ben Browning, and actress Karolina Wydra, alongside JPL scientists Steve Vance and Kevin Hand. The panel will be moderated by astronomer Dr. Phil Plait (Slate magazine, Phil Plait's Bad Universe). Space.com called the film "One of the most thrilling and realistic depictions of deep-space exploration since Moon and 2001: A Space Odyssey."

Thursday July 18, 2013 1:10pm - 2:20pm

Hall H

DC Digital

DC Entertainment's digital initiative has been a pioneer in digital comics. Get an exclusive look at some of the exciting series that make up the future of digital comics with some of the all-star talent behind them: Derek Fridolfs (Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Li'l Gotham), Christos N. Gage (Justice League Beyond), Kyle Higgins (Batman Beyond), Bryan Q. Miller (Smallville Season 11), Dustin Nguyen (Li'l Gotham), Tom Taylor (Injustice: Gods Among Us), and more!

Thursday July 18, 2013 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Room 6DE

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Action Figure Showcase

Members of the mutant marketing team for Playmates Toys-the master toy licensee for TMNT since the 1980s-prepare to "unleash shell," discussing what's now, new, and next for the articulated heroes on a half-shell. Get sneak peeks at future toys (perhaps some from season 2 of the Turtles' animated series or the upcoming TMNT movie), and ask questions of "team green" members who've worked on all three incarnations of the Turtles since their debut decades ago.

Thursday July 18, 2013 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Room 25ABC

Blizzard Entertainment Licensed Product Showcase

Chris Metzen (Blizzard Entertainment SVP story and franchise development) and a team of esteemed guests reveal never-before-seen licensed products and plans for 2013/2014. Talk to the designers, writers, and artists themselves as they dig into toys, novels, comics, statues, and more. Panel and extended game Q&A session moderated by Kat Hunter (host of Blizzcon coverage on DIRECTV).

Thursday July 18, 2013 2:15pm - 3:15pm

Room 6BCF

Sherlock

Steven Moffat (co-creator, executive producer and writer), Mark Gatiss (co-creator, executive producer and writer), and Sue Vertue (producer) discuss the latest adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his long-suffering faithful friend, Dr. John Watson. Coming to PBS Masterpiece during the 2013-14 season.

Thursday July 18, 2013 2:15pm - 3:15pm

Ballroom 20

Entertainment Weekly's The Visionaries

From art house cinema to studio blockbuster, these uncompromising directors have electrified audiences with their virtuoso storytelling and breathtaking imagery. Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, 500 Days of Summer), Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), and Edgar Wright (The World's End, Shaun of the Dead) lead this master class on the art of filmmaking and a wide-ranging discussion about the future of film.

Thursday July 18, 2013 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Hall H

Murder Police

From David Goodman (Family Guy) and Jason Ruiz, this new animated FOX series follows a dedicated but inept detective, Manuel Sanchez, and his colleagues-some perverted, some corrupt, some just plain lazy-in a twisted city precinct. Panelists David Goodman, Jason Ruiz, Will Sasso (The Three Stooges, MADtv), Chi McBride (Golden Boy, Hawthorne, Human Target), Peter Atencio (Key and Peele), and Justina Machado (Welcome to the Family, Private Practice, Six Feet Under) will unveil a sneak peek at footage, followed by a fan Q&A session.

Thursday July 18, 2013 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Room 25ABC

The Sidekick: Premiere Screening and Q&A

From director Michael J. Weithorn (King of Queens, A Little Help) and writer/actor Rob Benedict (Waiting, Supernatural) comes The Sidekick, the offbeat story of career "sidekick" Max McCabe. When Max begins to lose his youthful zip and is unceremoniously fired by his superhero boss, he finds himself cast adrift in a world that seems to have no use for an aging professional buddy. The panel will feature a 30-minute premiere screening and panel Q&A with Weithorn, Benedict, and cast members Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls, Cloverfield), Martin Starr (This Is the End), Josh Meyers (Behind the Candelabra), Richard Speight Jr. (Band of Brothers), Jordan Peele (Key and Peele), cinematographer Steve Lubensky (Series 7), and other special guests to be announced.

Thursday July 18, 2013 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

The World of CAPCOM Games

Moderator Francis Mao (CAPCOM) leads a panel of CAPCOM's producers and product managers to share the latest details on all their upcoming games, such as Dead Rising 3, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, Lost Planet 3, and DuckTales: Remastered, as well as information about Mega Man's 25th Anniversary, and a few other surprises! Plus, some lucky fans will be invited to play the CAPCOM 30th Anniversary Trivia Contest to win cool prizes!

Thursday July 18, 2013 3:30pm - 4:30pm

Room 6BCF

TV Guide Magazine Celebrates The X-Files' 20th Anniversary

It's been two decades since FBI Special Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) first partnered to investigate unsolved paranormal cases. The X-Files made primetime safe for sci-fi, and spawned a generation of hugely successful writer/producers. Somewhere, the truth is still out there. TV Guide Magazine Los Angeles bureau chief Michael Schneider leads a panel scheduled to include series creator Chris Carter, plus writers/producers David Amann, Vince Gilligan, Howard Gordon, Darin Morgan, Glen Morgan, John Shiban, Jim Wong, and more guests to come.

Thursday July 18, 2013 3:30pm - 4:30pm

Ballroom 20

Enders Game and Divergent

Summit Entertainment presents a special sneak peek at the highly anticipated film adaptation of the beloved, award-winning novel Enders Game. This is a must-see for fans, who will be shown all-new, exclusive footage and treated to a Q&A with stars Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, and Abigail Breslin, along with producer Roberto Orci (Star Trek Into Darkness) and director Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). The panel will also feature the first footage ever seen of the futuristic thriller based on the #1 New York Times best-selling novel, Divergent. Cast and filmmakers will complete a Q&A sharing details of the project's transition from book to film. Panelists will include novelist Veronica Roth, director Neil Burger, and cast members Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Maggie Q, Ansel Elgort, Mekhi Phifer, Ben Lamb, Ben Lloyd-Hughes and Christian Madsen.

Thursday July 18, 2013 3:50pm - 4:50pm

Hall H

Wilfred: Screening and Q&A

Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) stars as Ryan, a young man struggling unsuccessfully to make his way in the world until he forms a unique friendship with Wilfred, his neighbor's canine pet, played by Jason Gann (The Wedge), who co-created and starred in the Australian version of Wilfred in 2007. While everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog, Ryan sees a crude and surly man in cheap dog suit. Join Elijah and Jason with Wilfred co-stars Fiona Gubelmann (Don't Trust the B** in Apt 23) and Dorian Brown (Home Run) along with executive producers Reed Agnew (Crank Yankers) and Eli Jorné and David Zuckerman (Family Guy), plus executive producer/director Randall Einhorn (The Office) as they discuss bringing this unique live-action comedy to life.

Thursday July 18, 2013 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

The Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Panel

Robert Kirkman discusses the evolution of The Walking Dead and his plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, in a lively Q&A forum.

Thursday July 18, 2013 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Room 6A

Marvel: Superior Spider Man

Calling all Spider-Fans: This July is Superior Spider-Month! Get the inside scoop on Spider-Man's new allies, new foes, and new look, and get ready for some exciting announcements! This is one panel no true fan of the web-slinger will want to miss. Featuring senior editor Steve Wacker, Chris Samnee (Daredevil), Nick Spencer (Superior Foes of Spider-Man), Arune Singh (director of communications), and other Marvel guests.

Thursday July 18, 2013 4:30pm - 5:30pm

Room 6DEB

Entertainment Weekly's Brave New Warriors

A new generation of heroes has revitalized television. These daring, dauntless young actors have fans swooning and critics raving. Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf), and David Giuntoli (Grimm) discuss the thrills and fears of taking on iconic characters, reveal how they broke into the business, and share their favorite stories from set.

Thursday July 18, 2013 4:45pm - 5:45pm

Ballroom 20

Bringing the Roman Empire to Life on Xbox One: The Creation of Ryse: Son of Rome

Spend 60 minutes with award-winning studio Crytek to learn about the making of Ryse: Son of Rome, one of the year's most anticipated blockbusters coming exclusively to Xbox One this November. An epic action/adventure story of struggle, brutality, and heroism, Ryse: Son of Rome follows a fearless Roman soldier named Marius Titus who joins the army to avenge the slaying of his family and emerges as a hero who must fight to save the Roman Empire. Fans will learn key story details, get a peek behind the scenes at the making of the game, and receive a limited-edition printed comic book that will prepare them for the intense adventure they will embark on this holiday.

Thursday July 18, 2013 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Room 7AB

Voltage Pictures: An Exclusive Preview of The Zero Theorum, Directed by Terry Gilliam

An eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst works on a mysterious project aimed at discovering the purpose of existence ­or the lack thereof­ once and for all. However, it is only once he experiences the power of love and desire that he is able to understand his very reason for being. Appearing on stage to introduce the special early look at this new film and take your questions are producers Zev Foreman (Killer Joe) and Dean Zanuck (Get Low). Moderated by Gina McIntyre of the LA Times' Hero Complex.

Thursday July 18, 2013 5:10pm - 5:40pm

Hall H

Funimation Industry Panel

Get the latest news (and the chance to win some swag). With blockbuster titles such as Akira, Dragon Ball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, and One Piece, the FUNimation catalog features anime for both hardcore and casual fans. The live-action branch, Giant Ape, includes the current TV phenomenon Lost Girl.

Thursday July 18, 2013 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Room 24ABC

DC Collectibles

Action figures, statues, busts, PVC figures-DC Collectibles has them all, and more! Join the DC Collectibles crew, including DCE chief creative officer Geoff Johns, DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee, VP for creative services Kevin Kiniry, director for creative services Jim Fletcher, and sculptor Tim Miller to hear how they come up with so many great products, and what's coming up from comics' top makers of awesome collectibles!

Thursday July 18, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Room 5AB

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Season 2 Panel

Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Brian Tee (The Wolverine), Ian Anthony Dale (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), Samantha Jo (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), and Ed Boon (creator of Mortal Kombat) join series creator and director Kevin Tancharoen (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), producer Lance Sloane (Mortal Kombat: Legacy/Act of Valor), and Machinima's executive vice president of network programming Aaron DeBevoise for an in-depth discussion about the highly anticipated second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, set to premiere exclusively on Machinima, the number one global video entertainment brand for young males. Moderated by Matt Atchity, editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes.com, don't miss your chance to see exclusive, never-before-seen footage and hear from cast members about the second season of the groundbreaking show that has been called one of the most successful web series of all time.

Thursday July 18, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

South Park: The Stick of Truth

The creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, will discuss their upcoming South Park videogame, South Park: The Stick of Truth. Parker and Stone will talk role playing games, their vision for an interactive South Park adventure, and creating The Stick of Truth, the epic quest to become...cool.

Thursday July 18, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Room 6BCF

Teen Wolf

Join cast members Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed, Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, Charlie Carver, and Max Carver plus executive producer Jeff Davis for a Q&A as they discuss season 3 and share a special video presentation exclusively for Comic-Con fans. Moderated by ETOnline reporter Jarett Wieselman.

Thursday July 18, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Ballroom 20

The Goon Kickstarter and Beyond with Eric Powell and Blur Studios

Back in November, legions of fans rallied together to raise over $400,000 to put together a story reel for the David Fincher-produced feature film based on Eric Powell's hit comic book series The Goon! Now, Kickstarter supporters and Comic-Con attendees alike will have a chance to catch an exclusive glimpse of this work in progress! Creator Eric Powell, Blur Studios owner Tim Miller, and veteran visual effects guru Jeff Fowler present an update on this crowdfunded full-length motion picture.

Thursday July 18, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Room 9

Showtime: Dexter

You've been there for every edge-of-your-seat moment, every kill, inside Dexter's most intimate thoughts, watching him transform before your eyes. Now, after eight amazing seasons, it's time to say goodbye to America's Favorite Serial Killer. Join the cast, writers/executive producers, and surprise guest stars who are too big to mention, for a final farewell panel that even Hall H can't contain! Ralph Garman (KROQ entertainment reporter) presides over a revealing interview and Q&A session with the stars and executive producers of Dexter. Featured panelists include series star/executive producer Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jennifer Carpenter (Deb), David Zayas (Batista), and James Remar (Harry). Also appearing are executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Scott Buck, and Manny Coto. Satisfy your Dexter obsession all weekend. The new season of Dexter airs Sundays at 9:00 ET/PT only on Showtime.

Thursday July 18, 2013 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Hall H

Hannibal: Feed Your Fear

Emmy Award-winning executive producer Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), director David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Martha De Laurentiis (Red Dragon), and star Hugh Dancy (Agent Will Graham) reveal juicy morsels from behind the scenes of the groundbreaking NBC drama Hannibal. This feast of many courses will serve key moments from the first season as an entree, followed by a digestif of sneak previews of the second season. Not to mention a few surprises along the way. Bon appetit, Fannibals!

Thursday July 18, 2013 6:45pm - 7:45pm

Room 6A

Comic-Con offers a lot in exchange for the cost of tickets and time spent standing around on long lines, battling the heat and the crowds. There's the thrill of getting to see the talent behind your favorite comics, movies, TV shows and games, not to mention the surge of excitement that comes with being surrounded by people who are just as excited to be there as you. Oh, and there's the swag. Comic-Con is a haven of give-aways, though we might not call them "free." As mentioned, attendees pay for these things with the cost of their tickets and their time spent among the throngs of eager, excited and sometimes costumed geeky brethren. Those Ender's Game fans attending SDCC later this month will want to get to the Summit Booth and/or the Ender's Game Exclusive Fan Experience if they want to get their hands on some of the official EG swag that's being handed out. That includes the lapel pins in the above photo.

Enders News shared photos of the loot that will be available at the Summit Booth at Comic-Con this year. As you can see with the lapel pins, and the "Static Clings" in the photo below, Summit's making good use of the Army logos and mascots for they imagery. Ender's Game centers on Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a kid recruited to attend a space-set Battle School where gifted children are training to fight in the coming ware against an alien race. During their training, the kids are broken up into various armies, represented by animal names like salamander, rat and dragon. In addition to the Ender's Game logo, and the sight of Ender's back as he faces the Battle Room, which was used for the first official poster, the pins and clings feature the previously released Army logos, as well as the International Fleet logo.

Those same images are featured on the dog tags that will be made available to those who check out the Ender's Game Fan Experience, which will be set up outside the Hilton Gaslamp during the convention, and will allow fans to visit 8 different rooms, each of which represents a different iconic environment in Ender's world.

Check out the rest of those over at Ender News.

And finally, here's a look at the poster bag, which could prove useful in carting around your other swag.

The cast of Ender's Game, including Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford, will be in attendance for the panel that's set to take place Thursday, July 18 in Hall H.

Hot on the heels of the three new International Fleet propaganda posters meant to promote Summit's upcoming release of Gavin Hood's feature adaptation of Ender's Game comes word that the movie will have a pretty big presence at Comic Con in San Diego this year. Not only will the film be featured in Summit's panel, which will include appearances by Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield and other stars of the film, but there will also be an exclusive fan experience, as well as footage revealed at Summit Entertainment's booth on the convention floor.

With Ender's Game due out this November, SDCC seems like the perfect opportunity to promote the film, which should not only appeal to sci-fi fans but also to anyone who loved the book on which it's based. Based on a popular book by Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game stars Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin, a boy selected to attend a space-set battle school where gifted children are being trained for the impending war against an alien race called the Formics. Ender proves to be particularly gifted at strategy. That, combined with his especially compassionate nature makes him a better leader than most, despite his young age.

Many of us who read the book probably wish we could float around in the zero-gravity battle room the kids use as part of their training in the story. While that may only be possible in our imagination, Summit's going to give Comic Con attendees the opportunity to see their picture in the Battle Room as part of their Ender's Game Exclusive Fan Experience, which will be set up outside the Hilton Gaslamp. The set-up will include 8 unique rooms, which represent various iconic environments in Ender's world. Attendees will get to see footage from the film on LED screens, interact with digital content, and integrate photos of themselves into the Battle Room. There's also a home-makeover giveaway set to take place.

The panel will take place on Thursday, July 18 in Hall H. Set to be in attendance are producer Roberto Orci, director Gavin Hood, and stars Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin.

Here's Summit's list of announced Ender's Game-related content.

Check out the trailer for the movie below:

It's been a little while since we've seen anything new from Ender's Game, so it's especially exciting to see three new posters for the film. The posters set the tone for the futuristic backdrop on which this story is set. For those who haven't read the book, Ender's Game is set in the future when man is anticipating a war against an alien race called the Formics. This is a war man has fought before, which explains why the International Fleet - the global governing body - would want to keep the concern for another potential invasion fresh in people's minds and encourage their support. That includes the poster above, which shows an unspecified soldier looking heroic, and encourages people to "Join the next generation of heroes."

The poster may very well be targeting children with its heroic depiction of a faceless hero, as the "next generation of heroes" is pint-size. Technically, the soldiers preparing to fight this war appear to be a bit older in the movie than they were in the book, but they're still kids. The story centers on Ender Wiggin, a particularly gifted boy who's recruited to the space-set battle school where he'll train with other kids for the coming war against the Formics.

The second propaganda poster shows off the mentioned Battle School, under the words "Protect Earth":

And again, this one warns of the imminent invasion, hash-tagging "Do Your Part."

The message really hits home in this last poster, which depicts what appears to be the image of a Formic ship crashed into a building on earth, under the words "Never Again."

Not exactly subtle, but if this were a real event in history, it would likely remind people of the kind of threat the Formics pose to Earth. It's a scare-tactic and an obvious attempt to manipulate people's emotions but that's how propaganda works, and no one said the International Fleet was above such methods.

The new posters were shared over at IF-Sentinel.com, along with some other images, encouraging people to do their part. And from a marketing standpoint, I'd say that means fans of the book and other sci-fi enthusiasts might be able to do their part by tweeting, Facebooking and tumblring the images and blog posts to remind people that Ender's Game's arrival is imminent.

Here's one of the photos featured on the on the IF-Sentinel website:

Directed by Gavin Hood, Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1. In addition to Asa Butterfield, the film stars Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, Moises Arias, Viola Davis, Nonso Anozie and Ben Kingsley. Watch the trailer below:

It's all suits and seriousness for the latest promotional photo for Summit's Ender's Game. The image doesn't reveal much about the plot - for those who haven't read the book anyway - but it does showcase the movie's two stars, Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield, who play Colonel Graff and the titular Ender Wiggin in the feature adaptation of the popular sci-fi novel. Directed by Gavin Hood, Ender's Game is set in the future when man is at war with an alien race and the best and brightest children are being trained to fight in the battle.

The above photo arrived earlier this evening via the Ender's Game Facebook page. It depicts Ford's Graff as the stern but not uncaring colonel, who's keeping a close eye on Butterfield's Ender, one of the gifted children recruited by the International Fleet to prepare for the approaching war. Training includes getting suited up and sent into a zero-gravity Battle Room where the kids zap (or technically freeze) one another with flash guns.

Not only do I appreciate that the helmet doesn't obstruct Butterfield's face in the photo, but he also seems to be lost in thought, which is an expression I expect Ender wears quite often.

In addition to Butterfield and Ford, the cast includes Hailee Steinfeld, Aramis Knight, Abigail Breslin, Viola Davis and Ben Kingsley. Ender's Game won't arrive in theaters until November 1, but we've seen more and more promotional content trickling in over the recent months, including photos, a poster and a trailer.

"If we're going to survive, we need a new kind of soldier. One who doesn't think the way we think. Fear the things we fear. One the enemy would never expect."

Ender Wiggin isn't the first, but he'll be the last. Or so says Ben Kingsley's Mazer Rackham in the first trailer for Summit's Ender's Game. Directed by Gavin Hood, the film is based on a sci-fi novel by Orson Scott Card and tells the story of a boy who's recruited to attend a space-set battle school to train with other children in anticipation of the coming war against an alien race.

The trailer gives us an eyeful of the thrilling sci-fi world created for the film, including the battle school, which orbits earth, the zero gravity battle room, where kids in "flash suits" float around trying to zap one another, and the control rooms where the adults in charge of them keep a close eye on what's going on with these children preparing for war. No one's keeping a closer eye on Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) more closely than Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford). The trailer gives us a look at Graff, along with some of the other characters, including Ender's sister Valentine (Abigail Breslin), Kingsley as Mazer Rackham, covered in tattoos and Major Gwen Anderson (Viola Davis).

We also get a good look at Butterfield as Ender, an extremely gifted and intuitive kid who is as tactically gifted as he is compassionate, which may be just what it takes for him to be the soldier Graff can be heard describing at the start of the trailer.

The trailer debuted today during a Google Hangout featuring Butterfield, director Gavin Hood and producer Roberto Orci.

Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1. For more information on the futuristic setting of the film and the International Fleet that serves as the global government, check out IF-Sentinel.com.

While we still have a few days to wait for the big unveiling of the Ender's Game trailer, last night Summit released a teaser, which gives us a couple snippets of the anticipated preview, introduced by stars Harrison Ford (Colonel Graff) and Asa Butterfield (Ender Wiggin). In case you missed it, watch it above! The full trailer will debut on Tuesday, May 7. Until then, we pulled some screenshots from the teaser to examine (and obsess over) while we wait.

Before we get to that, just a note that Enders Game is hosting a Google Hangout next Tuesday. Director Gavin Hood, producer Robert Orci and star Asa Butterfield will be in attendance on Tuesday, May 7. Fans can submit their questions for a chance to have them selected in the Hangout. You can RSVP to the hangout here.

On to the teaser and what it reveals. If you've read the book, you know that Ender's Game follows a gifted child named Ender, who is recruited to attend a space-set Battle School where he'll train to fight a ware against an alien race. The tease gives us a glimpse of the Battle School from the outside:

Battle school orbits Earth, which is presumably the planet we can see in the background.

We can see the wheel in the front, and in the center of that (assuming the movie follows the layout of the book) is the zero gravity Battle Room where the kids float around zapping each other flashers (the guns they use to freeze each other's suits). We get a couple glimpses of the Battle Room in the teaser, including this one, which shows Ender's (or someone's) entrance.

"The enemy's gate is down!" That's the phrase to know with this film. If you haven't read the book or it's been a while, that's what Ender instructs the other trainees to remember when entering the zero gravity room. It allows them to orient themselves in a room where up, down and side are really any given directions without a point of focus.

While the above screenshot shows someone flipping through the air, without any harness or cord, the one below reveals a cord attached to the person coming down.

Any ideas as to why they're attached to a cord here?

Finally, we have a look at some other trainees at the school. And based on the army logos, which were previously revealed and the one we can see in part in the background, I'm thinking we're looking at Dragon Army here.

(Book spoiler ahead!). Dragon is the army put together for Ender to command.

We also get another look at Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham.

The full trailer debuted previously at CinemaCon, so we already know a bit about what it will reveal, however we won't actually get to see it for ourselves until Tuesday when it launches online. The movie arrives in theaters November 1.

There are a bunch of ways to stay updated on all of the Ender's Game news (besides checking back in with us, of course!). The links to the Ender's Game Twitter, Facebook and Google page can all be found at IF-Sentinel.com.

It’s been a busy day for Ender’s Game fans. Earlier, we learned that the first official trailer for Gavin Hood’s sci-fi adventure will arrive roughly a week from now, on May 7. Then, EW.com shared the first look at Sir Ben Kingsley in character as war hero Mazer Rackham in the anticipated adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s 1985 novel.

On creating the character, Kingsley says:

As the story goes, Rackham was a pivotal figure in the early battles against the Formics, a race of extraterrestrial creatures that wage a protracted war with our civilzation. Rackham will train our planet’s next great hope, Ender (Asa Butterfield), during the young soldier’s time spent at Command School. Kingsley isn’t Ender’s only tutor. Harrison Ford plays IF Commander Hyrum Graff in the film adaptation, and we saw a side-profile shot of the actor in costume much earlier. We’ll likely see a ton of the entire cast when the trailer drops next week.

As for Kingsley’s look in the character, he is half-Maori, and the markings on his face are tattoos that pack more meaning than casual audiences might realize.

We expect to have a lot of our questions answered by next week’s trailer, and we’ll certainly bring you that as soon as it arrives. For now, Ender’s Game reaches theaters on Nov. 1. What do you think about Kingsley as Rackham?

Those of us who weren't at CinameCon have only had a couple of glimpses at the Ender's Game movie, in the form of two stills and one peek at the zero gravity Battle Room in the first official poster for the adaptation of Orson Scott Card's popular sci-fi novel. We'll be getting another look at the movie soon enough, as the trailer is set to make its online debut in less than a week.

The announcement was made on the Ender's Game Facebook page last night, that the trailer would debut in 7 days, which is May 7 (next Tuesday.)

Directed by Gavin Hood, Ender's Game stars Asa Butterfield as a kid who's recruited to join other gifted children in a space-set battle school where humanity is preparing to fight a war against an alien race. Harrison Ford plays Colonel Graff and Ben Kingsley plays International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham. Also among the cast are Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin and Viola Davis. The movie arrives in theaters November 1.

Eric gave us a pretty great breakdown of the footage featured in the first trailer, which was revealed to attendees at CinemaCon last month. We've had that to tide us over while we wait to see the trailer for ourselves. It was looking like we were going to have to wait until Star Trek Into Darkness hit theaters later in the month to see the trailer, but apparently not. Fans should expect it to go live on YouTube and Google in less than a week's time.

The bad news is that the first ever trailer for Ender’s Game - the adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s classic science-fiction novel – won’t be arriving until Star Trek Into Darkness hits theaters next month on May 17th. The good news, however, is that we’ve already seen the footage, and we have a full description for you below!

Lionsgate held their CinemaCon presentation this evening and while showing off their slate for 2013 debuted the first teaser trailer for this fall’s big science-fiction film. The reel begins with an epic battle in the clouds between jet fighters and alien spacecraft. Harrison Ford’s Colonel Hyrum Graff speaks in a voice-over, "They know our strategies, they’ve learned our weaknesses." Suddenly the tide of the battle seems to start to turn and it looks as though the humans are being beaten. "The alien attack nearly destroyed us. That must never be allowed to happen again." We then see Graff standing in a window looking concerned.

A montage of shots introduce the battle school in space, as well as Viola Davis as Major Gwen Anderson, and the Zero-G arena is shown. Graff’s narration continues as though he is pitching a new strategy, saying that they need to find a new kind of soldier who "doesn’t think like we think and doesn’t fear what we fear." We then see our first shot of Asa Butterfield as the film’s central protagonist and titular character, Ender Wiggin.

Speaking directly to Ender, Graff says that he will be the greatest commander they’ve ever trained, to which Ender questions, "I’m not the first?" Kingsley as Mazer Rackham is then revealed, sporting a tattoo all over his face, saying, "But you will be the last."

The montage-style shots continue, showing space battles as well as the other students of the battle school, and we hear Anderson question Graff, saying "You really don’t seem them as children, do you?" The final shot sequence of the trailer has Ender in command screaming, "Now!" as a giant twin-barreled laser gun on a ship is fired into the distance and we see a huge explosion.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for when the Ender’s Game trailer arrives online, and look for it in theaters on November 1st!

For more of our CinemaCon 2013 coverage head over HERE!

After yesterday's exciting teaser poster for Ender's Game, we're left to wonder when Summit will show us some finished footage of the film, which is set to arrive in theaters November 1. It looks like we'll be waiting until the second half of May for the first trailer's release, as producer Roberto Orci has confirmed that the trailer will arrive ahead of Star Trek Into Darkness, which releases May 17.

As eager as fans are to see the trailer, I'm sure, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek follow-up is probably as close to the targeted audience as Summit can get for Ender Games' first trailer, given the timing, especially if they're looking to start building the buzz for the adaptation by rallying a generation or two's worth of sci-fi fans who have read Orson Scott Cards' novel.

The new poster seems to enforce that theory. Rather than a tagline at the top, the poster says "The critically acclaimed bestseller becomes a worldwide motion picture event." It's a bit wordy and bland, when crowning a hero shot of Ender Wiggin facing the zero gravity battle room. But it does directly remind people that this is an adaptation of a beloved sci-fi book. There's a good chance Star Trek fans know that, and if not, many of them likely would be eager to check it out if the trailer looks good.

But we also know that Summit moved the original March 2013 release date to November to get the film closer to the release of Catching Fire, so we might expect to see their later promotions targeting the young-adult genre fan base once Fall approaches.

Ender's Game centers on a boy who's sent to a space-set battle school where kids play games and study to train for an approaching war against aliens. The film is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Asa Butterfield as Ender. Harrison Ford plays Colonel Graff, Ben Kingsley is Mazer Rackham, Hailee Steinfeld plays Petra, Abigail Breslin is Ender's sister Valentine, and Aramis Knight plays Bean. The film arrives in theaters November 1.

As promised, the first official poster for Ender's Game has arrived, and it looks great! The image shows us the back of Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) as he stands at the gate of the zero gravity battle room, dressed in his flash suit, fists clenched and his weapon at the ready. It's a pretty fantastic hero shot and a great little tease for what will hopefully be some spectacular visual effects when Gavin Hood's adaptation of Orson Scott Card's popular sci-fi novel finally hits theaters this November.

I like that the poster looks almost like an illustration, but (one minor criticism), I think I would've preferred a tagline rather than a reminder that this is an adaptation of a popular novel at the top. It's also worth noting that this poster follows the back-to-the-camera trend for 2013 movies.

Ender's Game is set in the future during a time when man is at war with an alien race. Butterfield plays Ender Wiggin, a particularly gifted boy who's recruited to join other children in a space-set battle school where they're being trained to fight in the coming war. Ender's something of an underdog, but he proves to be particularly good at strategy, which comes in handy in the battle room as well as his attempts to find his place among his peers at battle school.

This poster, which comes courtesy of Yahoo, follows two previously released stills from the film, one of which shows Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff, the man responsible for Ender's training, and the other shows Hailee Steinfeld (playing Petra) and Ender sharing a meal and maybe some battle plans in the mess hall.

As exciting as it is to see the poster and some stills for the film, we still have six months to wait for the adaptation to arrive in theaters, November 1. But that also gives people plenty of time to read (or reread) the book, which is the first in a series of novels. And if you've already read it, try Ender's Shadow, which is a parallel story to Ender's Game from the perspective of Bean (Aramis Knight). Not only does the follow-up offer some fascinating insight into the calculating mind of one of Ender's closest allies, but it also fleshes out the story. It'll be interesting to see if anything from Shadow works its way into the movie.

Ender's Game director Gavin Hood probably couldn't have picked a better snippet to tease us for the anticipated first poster for the feature adaptation of Orson Scott Card's popular sci-fi novel. What we're seeing appears to be the back of a set of boots and in between them, the words "Warning: Null G Beyond This…" (line). We've actually seen that piece of the set already, but with the boots there, it's evident that Ender is prepared to step beyond that line and into the zero gravity battle room, where the game is most definitely on.

Ender's Game is set in the future when man is at war with an alien race. The best and brightest children are sent off to a space-set battle school where they take classes and play games to prepare to fight in the coming war. The story follows Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a compassionate, underdog of a kid who's something of a tactical genius, which proves particularly useful at battle school.

Director Gavin Hood posted the above glimpse of the poster, which will make its full debut tomorrow. And if that tease isn't enough to whet your appetite, he says the battle room scenes are going to blow our mind:

Given that the battle room scenes are likely high on the list many of us are eagerly anticipating from this adaptation, it's encouraging to hear that things are looking good in that respect.

Just over six months doesn't seem too long to wait for the film to hit theaters (November 1). That is, if you're willing to forget or overlook the fact that the movie was originally supposed to debut this month. Let's forget that though, and instead, try to remember that the enemy's gate is down!

Ender's Game stars Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld and Ben Kingsley.

Taking a page from the Twilight and Hunger Games playbook, Summit Entertainment is using fan sites to help them in the earliest promotion of Ender's Game, their latest adaptation of a young adult novel that they're grooming as a huge hit. After revealing the logos of the four Battle School armies yesterday, the fan sites are back with an image that makes a little more sense to those of us who haven't read the book-- the first image of Hailee Steinfeld and Asa Butterfield in a scene together. Take a look below:

Posted by EnderWiggin.net, the photos also gives us our first look at a handful of side characters, including Kyline Rhambo as DInk Meeker and Moises Arias as Bonzdo Madrid (it is bizarre that the actors have names that are almost as odd as their screen counterparts, but hey, kids these days). All of them are part of the Salamander Army, where Ender is first assigned when he arrives at Battle School, though he eventually moves on to two other groups. Though Steinfeld's character Petra Arkanian is one of Ender's closest friends in the book, they don't have a romantic relationship-- but I wonder if Summit, hot off the success of Twilight, might be tempted to add something in there after all, so long as it didn't lead to a total fan revolt.

Ender's Game, which is directed by X-Men Origins: Wolverine's Gavin Hood, comes to theaters on November 1. You can click here for everything else we know about it, or here for those army logos we got a look at for the first time yesterday.

We're still months (and months) away from the release of the feature adaptation of Orson Scott Card's popular sci-fi novel Ender's Game, so it's not especially surprising that we haven't seen much from the film yet, aside from some set photos and a still featuring the film's stars, Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield. With that in mind, this latest bit of content is likely going to appeal more to those who have read the book and are familiar with the setting of the story. Summit has given us a look at the logos for the various armies featured in the space-set battle school where the story is largely set.

Directed by Gavin Hood, Enders Game stars Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin, an exceptional child who's recruited to attend battle school to train for a war against an alien race. Harrison Ford plays Colonel Graff, the military leader who's keeping a close eye on Ender as he acclimates himself to training school and develops his strategic and leadership abilities. The school features various armies, which battle against each other in training exercises. That brings us to the pictures that arrived online today.

Slashgear collected all four of them, which were shared by various Ender's Game fan sites (Endersgamefansite.com, Enderansible.com, Blog.Endernews.com and EnderWiggin.net).

Vague spoiler alert - We mention some basic blot points from the book when referencing the army logos, so if you haven't read the book yet, avoid the text if you don't want to know any specifics about the story.

First up, we have a look at the Salamander army logo, which is where Ender is first assigned when he arrives at Battle school. Bonzo Madrid (Moises Arias) is the leader of that army, and he's not the nicest guy.

After Salamander Army, Ender is traded to Rat army, where he works under the more patient Dink Meeker (Khylin Rhambo).

Later in the story, Ender becomes leader of Dragon Army. In the past, Dragon was known for losing battles and the army was eventually abolished at the school, but it was brought back with a newly assigned group of students custom selected to report to Ender.

This last one is ASP Army. I don't recall how this one factors into the story in the novel, though it's possible they're one of the competing armies.

The logos don't give much away for the film, but they do give us something to look at while we wait for something a bit more substantial (teasers, posters, trailers, etc). We also have the lone still from the film, which gives us a look at Ford and Butterfield and a peek at the barracks. Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1. More information can be found in our Blend Film Database.

Summit-Lionsgate's anticipated feature adaptation of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi novel Ender's Game already has a lot going for it, between the source material and the stars, which include Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield, who's playing the title character. Now it's adding an Oscar winning composer to its credits in James Horner.

Gavin Hood's directing the film, which finished shooting last year and is set to release into theaters this fall. Set in the future when man is at war with an alien race, the film stars Butterfield as Ender Wiggin, an incredibly smart, strategic and compassionate boy who's recruited to a space-set training school where kids play games and study war tactics in anticipation of the next battle against the formics.

The setting and the plot fall firmly in the science fiction genre, but like a lot of great sci-fi, at its core, Ender's Game is a human story, with its focus on the test of a young boy's character as he attempts to make it through training school, and comes to discover his leadership abilities in the face of situations far beyond what any kid should have to deal with. With all of that in mind, there are sure to be many scenes in the film that can be musically enhanced with the right score, and that's where James Horner comes in. ComicBookMovie (crediting Film Music Reporter) says Horner has been hired to score the film.

Horner's list of film credits is lengthy and includes involvement in films like Willow, Field of Dreams, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, Aliens and Avatar. He's earned a number of Academy Award nominations and two wins (both for Titanic). Among his recent composing credits is The Amazing Spider-Man.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of music Horner brings to Ender's Game, which arrives in theaters November 1. More information on the film can be found in our Blend Film Database.

Aside from the set photos producer Roberto Orci shared when the film was in production, we haven't seen much from the anticipated Ender's Game. And with Summit moving the film's release date from February to November 2013, that's not all that surprising. We passed the year-to-go mark last month, so we should hopefully be seeing some official looks at the movie in the coming months. Sure enough, we get our first official peek today! Ready to see Ender Wiggin and Colonel Graff together?

Written by Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game is a sci-fi story set in the future where man is at war with an alien race called Formics (or "Buggers"). The brightest children are recruited to attend a space-set battle school to train for the fight, which involves strategic games and other lessons. The story follows Ender Wiggin (played by Asa Butterfield in the movie), an underdog of a character who proves to be especially adept at battle training and strategy. His intelligence is matched by his compassion, which makes him as interesting a character as he is a potential leader. And speaking of leaders, Harrison Ford plays Colonel Graff in the film, one of the leaders at the Battle School who takes an interest in Ender, believing he's mankind's last hope of defeating the Formics.

With that general background in mind, we have our first look of the movie, which comes courtesy of EW, and shows Ender and Graff face to face in the dormitory at Battle School.

In this scene, Ender is facing off with Graff over whether his emails to home are being blocked. Those familiar with the book know that Ender is especially close with his sister Valentine (Abigail Breslin plays her in the movie), which could be who he's trying to get in touch with, if not his parents. Ender's relationship with his sister is an interesting part of his character development and the same can definitely be said for his relationship with Graff as Ender attempts to size Graff up and figure out what his game is.

In the above photo, Ender's standing with the other launchies, all of whom are new to Battle School. Not only do we get a look at the two leads, but we also get a glimpse of the set. But the really exciting aspect is the serious looking profiles of Ford and Butterfield. The enemy's gate may be down but Colonel Graff is dead ahead as he stares Ender down.

If you've read the book, you know that Ender's supposed to be much younger at this point, but obviously they decided to go with Butterfield, who's a few years older. Director Gavin Hood addresses that subject in his interview with EW:

Ender being older than he is in the book might diminish some of the impressiveness of his accomplishments, but in the end, I'm optimistic that it won't drastically change the story.

And with our first look of the film, now we can be greedy and hope for more in the coming months. Perhaps a teaser or a poster?

Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1. More information can be found in our Blend Film Database.

Production for the feature adaptation of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi novel Ender's Game wrapped up earlier this summer, and since Summit won't be releasing the film into theaters until November of next year, updates on the movie have been scarce over the last month or so. But today comes word that the film will be getting an IMAX release.

Ender's Game is mostly set in space and takes place in the future when man is preparing for war against an alien race referred to as the Buggers. The first book in Card's series follows Ender Wiggin, a young boy who's recruited to join a fleet of children preparing for battle by playing strategy games and undergoing other forms of training. While Ender is smaller and younger than most of the other recruits, he soon proves to be something of a tactical genius.

Directed by Gavin Hood, the film stars Asa Butterfield as Ender, with Harrison Ford playing Colonal Graff, and Ben Kingsley playing Mazer Rackham. While the movie was in production, producer Roberto Orci was providing weekly updates on the Ender's Game production blog, offering fans glimpses of the set in addition to blogging about the making of the movie. But since the film finished up shooting, we haven't heard much about the project, and given that we're still more than a year from the release, that's not all that surprising. But it's exciting to hear some new news about the movie, and today, that's the IMAX announcement.

The Wrap posted the news that Ender's Game will premiere in IMAX, stating that Lionsgate made the announcement during a conference call with analysts. As the site notes, Lionsgate has two movies receiving IMAX releases that month, with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire set to arrive in theaters a couple weeks after Ender's Game. That's no coincidence, either. Originally, Ender's Game was set to hit theaters March 2013, but then Summit/Lionsgate moved the film to November 1, 2013 with the hopes of boosting interest in the film by moving it closer to Catching Fire, which arrives in theaters November 22, 2013.

An IMAX release makes sense for a movie like this. I doubt I'm alone in being especially excited to see is the Battle Room, where the kids play training games in zero gravity. That has the potential to look great on the big screen, and even more amazing on an IMAX screen.

Again, it's great to hear an update on the movie. Now I'll resume hoping we'll see a teaser or perhaps a poster for the film at some point in the near future. In the meantime, just remember: The enemy's gate is down.