Summit Entertainment is presenting a special sneak peek at the Ender’s Game adaptation. Fans 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.
You can read the archived version of our live blog below:
3:21
EDouglasCS: Hi there, we’re waiting for Silas Lesnick to join us from Hall H at the San Diego Convention Center.
3:28
Comment From Spencer Perry
Hey Ed 🙂
3:29
EDouglasCS: But here’s Spencer Perry from SuperHeroHype to keep us company until Silas checks in.
3:30
EDouglasCS: Jesse asked how Hall H is… today it’s fine but Silas tells us the internet is shaky.
3:31
EDouglasCS: I haven’t read either Ender’s Game or Divergent but they’re both on my Kindle Fire HD… I’m embarassed to say how far I’ve gotten into each.
3:32
EDouglasCS: Silas is online!
3:32
Silas Lesnick: Hi everyone! We’re live in Hall H!
3:32
Silas Lesnick: But we’ve still got about 20 minutes until the panel starts.
3:33
Comment From Spencer Perry
We were just telling the folks at home some very off color jokes about you Silas!
3:34
Comment From Jesse
I went in 2010 how packed is hall h this yearn
3:35
Silas Lesnick: People are still coming in, but it looks like a completely full crowd. The final seats are being filled right now.
3:35
EDouglasCS: Wow, and it’s only Thursday afternoon. I can only imagine how it’s going to be tomorrow and Saturday.
3:40
Comment From Jesse
Have u got to see the Enders game experience walkthrough yet I’m hearing amazing things
3:42
Silas Lesnick: It’s pretty fun, Jesse, especially if you’re a fan of the books. It looks like one of the charms that Gavin Hood is bringing to the adaptation is having a lot of physical sets rather than green screen.
3:43
Silas Lesnick: I spoke this morning with Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld, too, and we should have the interview up on CS shortly.
3:43
Comment From Lucy
When does the Divergent panel begin (what time)? Also, will the first footage from the film be shown during the panel?
3:43
Silas Lesnick: It should be any minute now! I’m not entirely certain if Ender’s Game of Divergent is first, though.
3:46
EDouglasCS: I heard that Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman are going to kick off Ender’s Game by marrying each other.
3:48
Comment From Bigstone
Wonder how Divergent is going to play with the ladies…is it anywhere as crowded with young teen girls as it was when Twilight debuted?
3:49
Silas Lesnick: It’s hard to tell because it’s pretty dark in here, but it looks like a fairly diverse crowd. The real trick will be to see if Divergent is going to be able to match the excited screams of Twilight when the actors take the stage.
3:49
Comment From Jona
When does the Ender’s Game panel begins?
3:49
Silas Lesnick: Should be in just a moment, Jona!
3:49
EDouglasCS: Divergent stars the guy who also stars in Carrie… he’s pretty good looking, i guess.
3:50
EDouglasCS: Ansel Elgort is his name.
3:51
Comment From Aslan
Theo James was in Golden Boy. Gone too soon, but was a good TV show.
3:51
Comment From Tess
He’s going to be in The Fault in Our Stars with Shailine Woodley from Divergent, too.
3:53
Comment From Jona
What panel will come first? Divergent or Ender’s Game?
3:53
Silas Lesnick: Divergent is listed first in the program, but it could go either way. Officially, they’re part of the same panel. We should know in moments, though.
3:54
Silas Lesnick: They’re telling everyone to take their seats!
3:55
Silas Lesnick: Moderator Chris Hardwick has taken the stage!
3:57
Silas Lesnick: He’s letting us know that we’ll be getting the world’s first look at footage from Divergent.
3:57
Silas Lesnick: Here comes the talent! Author Veronica Roth is first up!
3:59
Silas Lesnick: Director Neil Burger and stars Theo James and Shailene Woodley!
3:59
EDouglasCS: Neil Burger is a solid director… loved The Illusionist.
4:00
Silas Lesnick: Roth is explaining the world of Divergent to those unfamiliar with it.
4:01
Silas Lesnick: Lots of cheers when Burger mentioned the film taking place in Chicago.
4:01
Comment From João Paulo
The Illusionist is fantastic, Neil Burger have interest in his upcoming movies since than.
4:02
Silas Lesnick: “Let me clear about one thing,” Burger says. “We just finished shooting on Tuesday morning. It’s all very, very fresh.”
4:03
Silas Lesnick: He’s excited to hear the very first reactions to footage. No one outside of the production has been shown anything yet.
4:03
Silas Lesnick: Here comes the first clip!
4:07
Silas Lesnick: Breaking news from Roth!
4:08
Silas Lesnick: The new book will be written from two different perspectives, both Tris’ and Four’s.
4:08
Silas Lesnick: The scene was a montage that largely focuses on Tris’ training to join Dauntless.
4:09
Silas Lesnick: We see a lot of the dystopian Chicago and the city’s above ground train.
4:09
Silas Lesnick: The initiates (Tris among them) leap from the train to the roof of a building.
4:10
Silas Lesnick: Eric (Jai Courtney) is there, talking about how prestigious Dauntless is. He challenges the initiates to be the first to take a terrifying leap down the center of the building.
4:10
Silas Lesnick: Tris volunteers, climbing to the edge and letting herself fall.
4:11
Silas Lesnick: She falls right past ground level, straight into a black void at the bottom.
4:11
Silas Lesnick: Soon after she passes through the darkness, however, she lands in a net.
4:11
Silas Lesnick: Four (James) is at the bottom and helps her out.
4:12
Silas Lesnick: He asks her if she was pushed and she says she volunteered.
4:12
Silas Lesnick: He tells her that she can take any name she wants and she says she’ll just go with Tris.
4:12
Silas Lesnick: “Welcome to Dauntless,” he says.
4:12
Silas Lesnick: An action montage followed, showing off a number of training sessions.
4:13
Comment From Alisson
Will they post the clip online?
4:13
EDouglasCS: Alisson, probably not if it’s unfinished, but maybe closer to release. Comic-Con stuff shown in Hall H tends to be exclusive unless it’s an official trailer.
4:14
Silas Lesnick: The characters climbing a ferris wheel, Tris revealing her tattoo…
4:15
Silas Lesnick: The final shot has Tris standing against a wall as knives are thrown on either side of her. One of them goes right past her ear. She reaches up her hand and draws it back to find a trickle of blood.
4:15
Silas Lesnick: A ton of other cast members have joined everyone on the stage.
4:17
EDouglasCS: To answer a few questions from readers: The studio will sometimes post the panel portion of the presentation after the fact but usually not the video shown because often it’s unfinished and not ready for public consumption beyond Hall H.
4:17
Silas Lesnick: Shailene is talking about the dining hall scene, which she says was her favorite. She got to crowdsurf for 45 minutes straight.
4:17
Comment From Jesse
Did u guys get any free merch
4:17
EDouglasCS: Silas? Anything handed out at the panel?
4:17
Silas Lesnick: Nope, nothing handed out.
4:18
Silas Lesnick: “We really worked our asses off to make something that we can be really proud of,” says James of the film.
4:18
Silas Lesnick: Roth is talking about how surreal it was to visit the set and notice tiny details from the book.
4:19
Silas Lesnick: Here come fan questions!
4:19
EDouglasCS: Boy, that was a fast panel.
4:19
Comment From João Paulo
What’s the public reactions about the clip?
4:20
Silas Lesnick: To Veronica: “What did you see in the movie that you never realized was in the book?”
4:20
Silas Lesnick: “I know this world really, really well. I’ve been to this world so many times that I sometime want to kill it,” Roth laughs.
4:22
Silas Lesnick: Someone accidentally called the film “Ender’s Game” and the audience burst into laughter.
4:23
Silas Lesnick: There’ s a question about what the actors experienced for the first time on this set.
4:24
Silas Lesnick: Ben Lamb says his biggest challenge was doing an American accent, spawning a panel-wide range of American accent impressions.
4:24
Silas Lesnick: “What scene were you most excited to see filmed?”
4:25
Silas Lesnick: Shailene says that seeing Zoe Kravitz film over the chasm was the most amazing to her.
4:26
Silas Lesnick: Burger is talking about building an actual train on the L tracks in Chicago so that the actors could do their stunts from it.
4:26
Silas Lesnick: To Veronica: “Do you feel that Four and Tris’ relationship in the movie is accurate to the books?”
4:26
Silas Lesnick: She says she actively avoided being on set on days when they “were smoochy” because it felt so much like being a voyeur.
4:27
Silas Lesnick: One last question!
4:27
Silas Lesnick: “What similarities do you each have with your characters?”
4:28
Silas Lesnick: Maggie Q says she really identifies with the strength of Tori.
4:29
Comment From Jona
Has the Ender’s Game panel already started?
4:29
EDouglasCS: Not yet… still finishing up with Divergent.
4:30
Silas Lesnick: Mekhi Phifer says it’s Max’s bravery, which he learned growing up in Harlem.
4:30
Silas Lesnick: Ansel Elgort jokes that he and Caleb are exactly the same height.
4:31
Silas Lesnick: Theo jokes that he’s super-protective of Shailene, just like Four.
4:31
Silas Lesnick: “I don’t even let her go to the bathroom without me standing by the door.”
4:32
Silas Lesnick: Burger adds that Theo is “a seriously good fighter. Really, a dangerously good fighter.”
4:33
Silas Lesnick: Zoe Kravitz says that Christina, like herself, says whatever she wants.
4:33
Silas Lesnick: Ben Lloyd-Hughes feels that, like Will, he tries to stand up for his friends.
4:33
Comment From Lucy
Will a video of the panel be released anywhere?
4:34
Silas Lesnick: Lamb says that he’s also hard-working and erudite.
4:34
Silas Lesnick: Christian Madsen says he feels like Al through and through.
4:34
EDouglasCS: LUcy if you missed it earlier, some studios will post the panel portion of the presentation later but usually not the footage. We’l post it if it goes live.
4:34
Silas Lesnick: Amy Newbold says that, like Molly, she loves to fight.
4:34
EDouglasCS: Silas, so they brought the entire cast there? 🙂
4:35
Silas Lesnick: Miles Teller jokes that he’s “not very likable”, just like Peter.
4:35
Silas Lesnick: But they both like classical music and brush their teeth in the shower.
4:35
Silas Lesnick: “He’s a good guy,” Teller pleads about Peter. “He’s very misunderstood!”
4:36
Silas Lesnick: That looks like it for Divergent. They’re showing off the footage one more time and clearing the stage for Ender’s Game.
4:37
Comment From Jesse
U can usually find videos of the panels on YouTube but u can’t see the footage because its copyrighted by the studios I hope this helps Lucy
4:39
Silas Lesnick: Bob Orci is the first to take the stage!
4:39
Silas Lesnick: Followed very quickly by director Gavin Hood.
4:39
Comment From João Paulo
The painel description was great, now a really want to read Divergent, also the movie looks very promise.
4:39
Silas Lesnick: Thanks, João!
4:40
Silas Lesnick: Hood is talking about what a dream come true it is to be at Comic-Con with this film.
4:40
Silas Lesnick: Here comes Ender himself, Asa Butterfield!
4:41
Silas Lesnick: Followed by Hailee Steinfeld!
4:41
Silas Lesnick: And lastly, the legendary Harrison Ford!
4:41
EDouglasCS: Or as he’s sometimes known… “Hugo”
4:41
Silas Lesnick: No handcuffs this year, either 🙂
4:41
Silas Lesnick: (He came out in handcuffs to the Cowboys and Aliens panel two years ago)
4:42
Silas Lesnick: Here comes a clip!
4:44
Silas Lesnick: It’s actually a brand new trailer!
4:45
Silas Lesnick: With voiceover by Harrison Ford, we hear Colonel Graff telling Ender how vitally important his skills are to the alien threat.
4:45
Silas Lesnick: Ben Kingsley’s Mazer Rackham says that he doesn’t think Ender is ready.
4:46
Silas Lesnick: “You’re never ready,” says Graff. “Only ready enough.”
4:46
Silas Lesnick: LOTS of footage of Ender taking charge of the fleet and leading ships into battle.
4:46
Silas Lesnick: “We should tell him the truth,” says Rackham.
4:46
Silas Lesnick: “Why?” says Graff.
4:47
Silas Lesnick: “What will be left of the boy?” Viola Davis’s Major Anderson asks.
4:48
Silas Lesnick: “What does it matter if nothing is left at all?” says Graff.
4:48
Silas Lesnick: “If you succeed,” Graff tells Ender, “You’ll be remembered as a hero.”
4:48
Silas Lesnick: “He’s in command,” says Graff as Ender leads the fleet. “There’s no stopping him now.”
4:49
Silas Lesnick: Ford is joking about hating the moderator, Chris Hardwick.
4:49
Silas Lesnick: “I’m never coming back here,” Ford deadpans.
4:49
Silas Lesnick: “He’s not so much Ender’s mentor as he is Ender’s manipulator,” Ford says of Graff.
4:50
Silas Lesnick: He was fascinated by the story of children being manipulated by the military, something that he feels is a dangerous occurrence in the real world.
4:51
Silas Lesnick: Hood is saying that one of the trickiest things about casting Ender was that “you can’t fake intelligence”.
4:52
Silas Lesnick: Asa says his biggest challenge was to overcome the fact that he was acting “opposite Han Solo”.
4:52
Comment From Jesse
Awesome does haily still look the way she did as maddie Ross from true grit
4:53
Silas Lesnick: She looks totally different, Jesse. I don’t think I would have ever recognized her.
4:53
Silas Lesnick: BTW, she’s sporting some pretty badass Ender’s Game nails. This is from the interview this morning: http://instagram.com/p/b6ntSYE_1D/
4:54
Silas Lesnick: Fan questions! The first is about the controversy surrounding Orson Scott Card and his involvement.
4:55
Silas Lesnick: Orci fielded the response, which is pretty on-par with the press release recently released.
4:56
Silas Lesnick: “If you could choose one prop to take home, what would it be?”
4:57
Silas Lesnick: “Harrison Ford!” says Hood.
4:57
Silas Lesnick: Asa says that one thing he did keep was a futuristic washroom kit.
4:59
Silas Lesnick: To Ford: “If Han Solo and Indiana Jones were to meet, what would be their first words to one another?”
4:59
Silas Lesnick: “Hi,” says Ford. “How are you?”
5:01
Silas Lesnick: Another for Ford from a fan who said he used to dress as Indiana Jones: “Do you think Han Solo would be a good soldier in Graff’s army?”
5:01
Comment From Lucy
Just wanted to thank you for such an amazing job with these panel descriptions.
5:01
Comment From João Paulo
Is Abigail Breslin there?
5:01
EDouglasCS: Yes I believe she is… Silas interviewed her earlier with Shailene and Asa
5:01
Silas Lesnick: “You and I have a lot in common,” Ford deadpans. “I used to dream about being Indiana Jones when I was younger, too. Not so much anymore.”
5:02
Comment From Josh
Why don’t my comments show up? 🙁 (watch this comment show up)
5:02
Silas Lesnick: “I don’t think Han Solo would be a good soldier in anyone’s army,” Ford continues. “He’s what you call an independent contractor.”
5:02
EDouglasCS: We’re moderating comments Josh but I was busy doing something else for the last few minutes.
5:02
Silas Lesnick: With that, it looks like the Ender’s Game panel has ended. They’re showing off the new trailer one more time.
5:02
Silas Lesnick: Although they haven’t confirmed it, I suspect this is one that will be online before too long.
5:02
EDouglasCS: Silas, did they mention when the new trailer will be online?
5:03
EDouglasCS: Ah, thanks.
5:03
Silas Lesnick: Thanks, Lucy!
5:03
Silas Lesnick: And we’re done! Thanks for reading everyone!
