The 'Golden Compass' problem

Does a big buget and big stars mean a good movie?

So recently I've been getting really excited about all the Ender's Game movie news, especially the casting. I mean come on! Harrison Ford, THE Han Solo is going to be in it, and after looking at all the positive comments from the younger cast (click here) I was thinking this is going to be awesome.
Could things be too good to be true? Well I hope not, but... then I thought of recent Golden Compass movie and despair set in, just in case you missed it or the book it is based on let me set the scene.
*spoiler alert
In 1995 Philip Pullman released the novel 'Northern Lights' to critical acclaim, winning various literary prizes. No need to go into much of the story but its about a young girl and her adventures in a parallel universe and is the 1st part in the 'His Dark Materials' series. Anyway in 2007 it was made into the feature film 'The Golden Compass' based on the American title for the book. If anyone else has seen it I'm sure they will agree, it is pretty poor and disappointing to fans of the books. It was made as a kiddies movie and therefore missed the darker elements completely out, and the biggest travesty - the end was changed. Well I guess not changed more like missed out! Why you ask - Basically because a child is killed. This scene, the last chapter to the book sets up the rest if the story and explains alot about what's been going on. The producers, director or whoever wimped out big style. The result, despite a massive cast, lots of money and millions of fans of the book we get a rubbish film. Didn't even get a sequel let alone a 3rd movie to finish the story.
Thinking about all this I cry aloud DON'T DO THIS TO ENDER'S GAME!!

There are too many similarities with the books, not the story so much but both about children but not children's books, and both winning literary prizes and critical acclaim. Now with Ender's Game getting the big cast and coming ever closer someone please reassure me, please.

Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @EnderSpeaker

Does Ender's Game need a star?

So do we need a Hollywood superstar as part of Ender's Game?

As far as it goes for us fan boys and girls - No, we'll all be first in line to see Ender's Game when it hits big screens. But who else will be there? What draws people to see a movie, a good trailer, good marketing and YES a big name that we all know.
So recently we've heard a lot of talk about casting for the movie, and its all about the kids. From Orson Scott Card and casting director John Papsidera's comments we should expect a big name there, and that's a good plan don't want some stuck up child actor playing Ender or Bean, think Macaulay Culkin, and you get the idea.
Back to finding a star for Ender's Game, it has to be an adult and they have to feature a fair bit, so what characters can we look at? I have only two suggestions Colonel Graff and Mazer Rackham. So I was thinking who would I like to see and I had what can only be described as divine inspiration, Nathaniel Lees must play Mazer, he fits OSC's description perfectly and he's been in some awesome movies. But I bet you all had to Google him or hit that link to see who he is, so not the kind of star we need.
So its down to Colonel Graff then, and I can't think of a single person, help me! Help Ender's Game who should play Graff and be our Hollywood Superstar?

Ender's Game Movie - Peter the Psychopath

With film news, casting calls and information coming to us frequently about the upcoming Ender's Game movie, I have, like many of you, been excitedly rereading all of my Enderverse books.

Something is troubling me.

According to io9's look at the casting calls for Ender's Game
"Ender's brother is fully a psychopath in this version of the screenplay"

I understand that in the Ender's Game book Peter (Ender's Brother) doesn't come across well. He is a bully, too violent for battle school and also a master manipulator. Going from this to a psychopath for the movie is great, it will add drama and tension and show Ender's altruistic side in sharp contrast to Peter.

But I feel the need to be loyal to the Peter Wiggin of Orson Scott Card's mind and he is not a psychopath. My friend Peter Wiggin defeats the evil Achilles with the help of Bean and then he unites the world under a democratic alliance known as the Free People of Earth.
I want everyone to know this Peter, and as I can't fault the filmmakers for creating a psychopathic brother for our hero, I come to the following conclusion - Everyone NEEDS to read the Shadow series. Peter Wiggin is a major player in this and as you read hopefully you can come to know Peter as well as I do.

Let me know if you agree, or am I the psychopath?
I'll be doing a regular opinion feature so if you have any suggestions on what I should talk about or if there is something specific you'd like my opinion on, hit me up on Twitter