Harrison Ford Confirmed For ‘Ender’s Game,’ Abigail Breslin Signs On
Harrison Fordis really back. After quite a few years in which the actor took only occasional roles, we’ve seen him inCowboys & Aliensthis past summer, and he just signed to play famed baseball manager Branch Rickey in the Jackie Robinson biopic42.
And now Ford is going to do another real sci-fi picture, as he has signed to play Colonel Hyram Graff inGavin Hood’s adaptation of theOrson Scott CardnovelEnder’s Game, after beingrumoredas one of the actors likely to be offered the role
Varietysays thatAbigail Breslinis also confirmed for the cast, as Ender’s older sister Valentine; Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak will play Ender’s older brother, the abusive Peter Wiggin.
So we’ve gotAsa Butterfield(Hugo) as Ender Wiggin, a young kid who is recruited to an elite battle school, where kids are trained in preparation for a third conflict with an alien race called the Formics. Two previous conflicts nearly destroyed humanity. As he participates in simulated wargames at the school, Ender shines as a tactical genius and is quickly highlighted as the most promising student. But the conflict with the Formics is going to end a bit differently than Ender expects.
Ford’s character is in command of training at the school, and his relationship with Ender is defined by his domineering nature. He is pushing Ender for a specific reason, however, and the character isn’t just a gruff badass with a strict military haircut. Oh, wait. With late-model Harrison Ford in the role that might be exactly what he is. But we can hope for more.
Aramis Knight,Moises Arias,Suraj Parthasarathy,Conor CarrollandKhylin Rhambowill play other kids at the school, andHailee Steinfeldis confirmed for the cast, too, asone of the few female studentsat the battle school.Ender’s Gamecame out of a long confinement in development hell when Gavin Hood’s script waspicked upand greenlit by Summit; theWolverineandTsotsidirector will helm the film as well.Ender’s Gameis set for release on June 26, 2025.
After years of looking on as this novel tried to get to the screen, I’m curious, in a detached way, about how this is going to work out. There is a strong anti-war aspect of Ender’s Game that seems crucial to the story, but I wonder how it will come across in the film.
