During an interview with Hypable today, Ender’s Game co-star Aramis Knight revealed a script centered on his character Bean based on the book Ender’s Shadow exists.
Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card is a novel that parallels the story line of Ender’s Game but follows Bean. The character has a supporting role in Game which hit theaters last week.
“There’s actually a script already written for [Shadow] which I got to read a few pages of,” Knight told Hypable. “[Director Gavin Hood] wanted to film right beside Ender’s Game,” he added, but the script needed to be revised and the budget limited the possibility of shooting both.
Hood voiced the same problems when he spoke to us in October about his attempt to shoot Game and Shadow simultaneously, “We had such difficulty getting the money for Ender’s Game that it was like, everyone said ‘Gavin, shut the f*** up, there’s no way you’re getting the money to shoot two movies at once.’”
This is the first time we’re hearing of an Ender’s Shadow script in existence and may signal the studio’s interest in continuing the franchise.
If Shadow moves forward, there’s the problem of keeping Knight because of his physical appearance. Said the actor, “Bean is supposed to be the smallest, and when they booked the movie I was 4’8″ and I had a high squeaky voice and now I’m 5’6″ and my voice is deeper. It’s very difficult because Bean is known for his height, and his story is about – he’s small and neglected and vulnerable. It’s going to be kind of difficult.” Knight suggested that make up and special effects could be used to make him younger, however.
It remains to be seen whether or not Summit will move ahead with their Ender’s Shadow script. If they do, they may have to switch Knight out for a different actor who could match the physical description of Bean.
We have a request for comment in to Summit and will update if we get a response about the status of the script.
Read our full interview with Knight here.
Ender’s Game opened in theaters on November 1 and has made just over $30 million at the U.S. box office so far. If the film continues to perform well, the studio could very well move forward on Shadow.
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