Would EG work as a franchise?

[Valentine]

Last week, it was hinted that Lionsgate could be looking at EG as their next big "young adult franchise". It's never been said whether the actors are contracted for more than one movie, but even without that in mind, do you think this could work as a franchise?

I don't think they could make it successful with the book sequence because Speaker for the Dead is so far and away from EG that I think it'd alienate a large portion of the people they get on board with EG. So what else could they do? I haven't read Ender in Exile, but I understand this is the next chronological book. Could that work as the sequel?

[Ender Wiggin]

I feel if they do turn this into a franchise, unless they plan on hiring a bunch of different actors to portray the characters as they get older, then it's a safe bet what you see on screen will not be true to the source material.  Ender's Game will likely stay somewhat true (disregarding the age of the actors obviously) just to play it safe and get their foot in the door, but if it does well I'm not going to be surprised at all if they keep the young cast and branch off from the books, or somehow make everything that happens post Ender's Game sooner than in the books.  (Ender accomplishing everything before he hits 25, for example.) 

I tend to separate myself from "purists."  If it's good I'll be happy, whether it's true to the books or not.  If I'm entertained then I'm happy, and that's about as complicated as a franchise has to get for me.  I just don't want the value of any future films to suffer.  I want this first film to be good on it's own terms, not a shadow of the source material.  And if they were to make an alternate story line that's still good, then so be it.  I still have the books to keep me company if I want to revisit Card's version of the story, and I'll have the films as an alternative.

I know some may not be able to fathom what I just said, but oh well.  I don't really care! :p

[Valentine]

Doesn't Ender in Exile happen only a year after the war ends though? That would still be sticking with Card's story, just not in the original trilogy order.

[Ender Wiggin]

Yeah, he's 12 when Ender in Exile begins I believe.  So that would be a direct sequel with Asa and Valentine's Actress should they make the film.

[Bean]

The logical sequel might be Ender in Exile, and some of the other short stories from Ender's trip in space before the occurrences in Speaker for the Dead, OR.....    Don't discount Bean, what about the sequel being Ender's Shadow?

[Ender Wiggin]

I think I read that this movie is like a merger of Ender's Game and events from Ender's Shadow.  I could be wrong though.

[Dink Meeker]

Ender in Exile is an interesting tie between Game and Speaker, and I think it could make a really awesome movie. A lot of it tells the story of how Ender finds the Hive Queen's eggs in greater detail than what was told at the end of Game. However, I'd rather see them make Shadow of the Hegemon to follow up Ender's Game, and as they progress through the franchise with the Shadow series, you could tell the story of Ender in Exile in bits and pieces across those three films. By the time you've made three more movies it could be possible to go in to Speaker with Asa as Ender in his early 20s. You'd warp the story a little, but like you were saying, that would be alright.

[Valentine]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind Speaker starring a 20 year-old. They could age everyone down and change Novinha's storyline a bit.

[vonsabrewulf]

I dont know speaker was such a different take on Ender, so i think the transition between movies would not make this a franchise, but different movies altogether. Guess it also depends how closely EG follows the book

[Dem0sthenes]

I don't think EG could work as a film franchise, as the films would be too long. However as a tv series...well, for some reason when I read EG and read the transition between characters in different characters, I always picture the end of a different episode each time there is a character transition.

[enderwiggin]

I dream of a world where film versions of Ender in Exile and Shadows of the Hegemon come out in the same year.