Script Status: Weiss has turned in a draft

Orson Scott Card posted on Hatrack that "D.C. Weiss has since turned in yet another draft. But Hollywood being as it is, don't count on any of these versions actually being what is filmed."

WB Extends Option, Card Working On Brand New Script

Orson Scott Card posted on Hatrack about the latest on the Ender's Game Movie:

The option with Warner Bros. was due to expire on 7 December. There was no filmable script - though in fairness to the writers so far, they may well have been following faithfully all that they were actually asked to do - EG is simply a very hard story to put in script form.

At the last minute, a committed Warner exec met with me and we worked out some key decisions. Warner is still strongly committed to making Ender's Game into a great movie, and we agreed to another year or so of option, starting with a new script written by me (a page-one rewrite not based on any previous script, including mine). Guess how I'll be spending my Christmas vacation.

This is very promising, I think. As far as I know, all other elements of the team remain together. I will be working closely with Chartoff Productions (whom I've been working with on this for ten years now) and with the Warner executive to get this script right - emotional, truthful, the kind of film that even people who think they hate sci-fi and war films will like.

It will be faithful to the story, within the limitations of a two-hour form factor. Stuff has to be left out. But what's THERE will be true to the story in the books, even if it isn't word-for-word or point-for-point the same.

Card Finishes Script and Discusses Release Date

Orson Scott Card posted on Hatrack in response to an article about the Ender's Game movie that mentioned the release date being 2008:

Haven't read the article, but if it sets a definite date, then it didn't come from me. There's a possibility of 2008. Depends on how they feel about the script I just finished.

OSC: Script is being "Tweaked"

OSC gave a minor update about his work on the Ender's Game movie on Hatrack today:

I finished a draft. Tweaking continues. I haven't been fired yet so I'm still part of the process ... we'll see.

What I REALLY just finished was Empire, to be released Nov. 1. My publisher - the editors, the production staff, everybody - are absolutely wonderful to put up with my late delivery on this book.

I'm never late on purpose. In this case, the Ender screenplay kept me from really starting till late

Wolfgang Petersen has said he plans to start pre-production on his next film in September, and he would be spending the summer deciding what would be his next project. So, it starting to get down to crunch time for Ender's Game...

(FYI, Empire is a non-Enderverse sci-fi novel about a not-so-distant second American Civil War that will be published in November.)