Just recently casting for the movie has been movie quite quickly. Asa Butterfield who is currently starring in Martin Scorsese's
Hugo landed the lead role of Ender. Hailee Steinfeld who is best known for her Oscar nominated performance in the remake of
True Grit will be playing Petra Arkanian.
And today
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that Sir Ben Kingsley (
Gandhi) is in talks for the role of the "legendary war hero presumed to be dead." By that description and from I've read I believe the role is Mazer Rackham.
Mazer Rackham - Ender's last teacher, Rackham makes no attempt to become Ender's friend, although, like Graff, he loves and respects the boy. Rackham is forced to deceive Ender into thinking he is playing mere games and explains to him that no one but a child could have won the war—it took both compassion, daring, and ruthlessness that he himself could not have had since he knew it was not a game. - Sparknotes
Hugo actor Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld are starring in the pic, set in a future where the Earth is under attack by an insect-like race and mankind has created a battle school to train fighting forces. In this environment enters Ender Wiggin (Butterfield), a kid who is tormented by bullies and an older brother but proves to be a master at a three-dimensional, zero-gravity laser tag-like game. That sets him on a path as a possible savior of the human race
Kingsley will play a legendary war hero presumed to be long dead. THR