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Tag: Bonzo Madrid

New Stills and Behind-the-Scenes Images from ‘Ender’s Game’

Thanks to Cosmic Book News (via Ender News), we’ve got a great first look at Bonzo and Ender facing off. We’ve all noted and discussed the noticeable height difference between Moises Arias (Bonzo) and Asa Butterfield (Ender) in the past, and this still gives us some insight into why despite that difference, Gavin Hood chose Arias to be Ender’s nemesis in Battle School. Petra standing there seems a bit odd, though.

New photo of Viola Davis as Major Gwen Anderson. Is she smiling at something Ender’s said to Graff, perhaps?

This one is particularly interesting, as you can see looks of sadness on Bean and Petra and Graff happily explains something to a troubled Ender. Is this the reveal in the end?

Ender and Mazer at his simulator, with his team standing by below.

Ender stares at Graff as they prepare to travel to Eros.

Ender with Valentine on Earth. This is a larger version of the image we saw in the calendar.

Gavin Hood directing. He’s outdoors during the day, so this is presumably while filming the lake scene.

Gavin Hood talks to Harrison Ford on the Eros set.

October 21, 2013
‘Ender’s Game: Battle School’ Board Game: Hi-Res Image

Last week we told you about Ender’s Game: Battle School, a board game to be released by Cryptozoic. Now we have a hi-res version of the image Cryptozoic is using to advertise their new game. You can even read the words on the cards! Click the image for the hi-res version.

In case you don’t remember, here is the description of the game again:

Ender’s Game: Battle School is a two-player game set in the zero-gravity arena of the International Fleet’s Battle School. Players take the role of either Ender Wiggin and the Dragon Team or Bonzo Madrid and the Salamander Team, and then use Commander cards with special abilities (some for the whole team, some that only help the commander) to attempt to capture the other team’s gates or freeze opposing team players with laser-light guns. The player who completes either of the goals first (capturing all the gates or freezing the opposing commander) wins.

Source: Board Game Geek

August 20, 2013
Moises Arias On Being a Child Actor and Favorite Roles

A couple of days ago, Moises Arias (Bonzo) tweeted this little interview he did in The Standard Lifestyle‘s Artist Issue. Click through for a bigger/readable version of the scan!

August 17, 2013
First Look at the ‘Ender’s Game’ Battle School Board Game
Those of you that have been waiting for more information about the upcoming Ender’s Game Board Game by Cryptozoic Entertainment can now have a peek at the game! Thanks to a tip from @AllUsGeeks on Twitter, who linked to ICV2.com.

Here’s a brief description of the game:

Ender’s Game: Battle School is a two-player game set in the zero-gravity arena of the International Fleet’s Battle School. Players take the role of either Ender Wiggin and the Dragon Team or Bonzo Madrid and the Salamander Team, and then use Commander cards with special abilities (some for the whole team, some that only help the commander) to attempt to capture the other team’s gates or freeze opposing team players with laser-light guns. The player who completes either of the goals first (capturing all the gates or freezing the opposing commander) wins.

The MSRP will be $25.00. In addition, here is a list of what comes with the game:
- 22″ x 22″ Game Board
- 2 x oversized double-sided character cards,
- 16 x character pawns
- 12 x star terrain pieces
- 6 x gate terrain pieces
- 2 x hit point markers
- 4 x six-sided dice
- 1 x rule book
List source: Pop Cultcha
August 12, 2013
Director Gavin Hood on Violence in the Ender’s Game Movie

Back in December, Crystal posted an editorial about whether or not the upcoming Ender’s Game movie needed to go as far as the book in terms of violence. In Pondering the Fate of Stilson, she argued that having Ender kill Stilson before he even gets to Battle School may not only be not necessary and severely stretch credibility (look a the size difference between Caleb Thaggard and Asa Butterfield), it may also be harmful in that it may lead audiences to despise Ender or even encourage people to commit violence themselves.

Now, Ender’s Game director Gavin Hood has finally addressed the matter in an interview with Cinemablend’s Kelly West. Here is what he had to say:

I think that all those elements of bullying, which is a great theme in the world right now, and how kids deal with being bullied, which we know is so powerful in the book, thatʼs in the movie. But what I try to do as a ﬁlmmaker in terms of handling questions of violence, is I donʼt believe in showing violence for violenceʼs sake and repetitive violence. For me, what I have found is an act of violence can be so sudden, whatʼs more interesting is the aftermath. And so, our movie is not, I hope, in any way, really violent. I donʼt want it to be a violent ﬁlm, but the effect of the moment of violence on the psyche of the protagonist and the people around him is profound as it is in the book. It has to be, and so those key scenes in the book –Bonzo in the shower– are absolutely in the movie, and they shock in their suddenness, but they are not in any way indulgent. Iʼm not interested in showing blood ﬂying around the room or any of, none of that. Whatʼs more important is to see how these young character handle it and thatʼs why I think itʼs an important ﬁlm. As a parent, I want my kids to go to a movie and not be spoken down to, deal with difﬁcult themes, but be able to talk about it, not celebrate that, just talk about it.

Looks like Gavin Hood has put a lot of thought into the question of how much violence is really necessary in the movie to have the desired effect on the characters and the audience, and how much would really just be violence for violence’s sake. He seems to have a pretty decent grasp on where the thin line runs between dramaturgy and pornography. Sounds like we are going to be sufficiently shocked, without being traumatised by watching graphic displays of kids dying in puddles of their own blood. (my emphasis)

Source: Cinemablend

July 19, 2013
PHOTOS: Bonzo, Dap, and a Dragon Soldier

Along with the re-launch of I.F. Sentinel and the three really cool propaganda posters came some new imagery, some of it better looks at key characters.

First up, we have Dap, aka “Mom” to the Launchies. He’s sporting an IF Hat and wearing the teacher uniform. This photo doesn’t really do justice to how big Nonso Anozie is, but it’s still great to have a better look at him. We previously only caught a slight glimpse of him in the trailer.

Next there’s a nice close-up image of the back of a Dragon Army soldier and we get a much better look at part of the flash suit. We can see that they wear something connected to their suit over their heads and the helmet goes on over that. Also, any guesses who this is? Since there’s a wall of stars in front of him, my guess is Bean!

Last, but not least, we get a great first head-on look at Bonzo Madrid, standing in what could possibly be a bathroom with some of his fellow Salamander Army soldiers. He definitely looks intimidating, is it enough to convince you that he is out for blood? One can certainly understand how a look like that can scare off an extra on set!

Check out all the new stories and images on IF Sentinel.

June 25, 2013
Moises Arias Calls ‘Ender’s Game’ a Memorable Experience

Moises Arias talked with The Hollywood Reporter about The Kings of Summer and Ender’s Game, which is out on a wider release today and briefly talked about how to portray a character from a book. “You read the book, you read the script, they’re two different art forms.”

He also had great things to say about his time on set. “That was probably one of the most memorable experiences for me. I do believe that I’m going to be very different from what people were predicting, but I think it’s going to be a different flavor to what Bonzo is. I’m just happy that I got the opportunity.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

June 7, 2013
Moises Arias on Bonzo’s Hair

AOL has posted a 30 minute interview with Moises Arias in which he talks briefly about Ender’s Game and Bonzo.

Right before this film, I was doing Ender’s Game and they shaved my head on the last day of shooting, which led to that weird haircut in the film [Kings of Summer] and previously the director was like, “Don’t cut it before you come to set.” and I showed up with that in between stage of it actually growing out and it just being buzz cut and it ended up working. I look very sexy.

So while it’s a small little tidbit, it is interesting that they’d shave his head on the last day of filming. It would mean that he’s got a full head of hair (which we’ve seen in set pictures) for basically the whole movie and then for whatever reason, they suddenly wanted him to have a buzz cut.

What do you guys think this could mean? Does Bonzo shave his head because Ender drives him over the edge? Does he do it just before his fight with Ender? Or does the Battle School do it after the fight as a result of the fight?

Moises also talks about his career and about how grateful he is to his parents and family for the support they’ve always given him in pursuing his dreams. He then talks to two fans about the evolution of his career.

Source: AOL

June 6, 2013
VIDEO: Moises Arias Talks to Young Hollywood

Moises Arias went to the Young Hollywood studio to talk about his upcoming projects and being called a young Dustin Hoffman. When the conversation switched to Ender’s Game, he said to expect “the doucheyest character ever” (yeah, I have no idea how to spell that either) and that there’s not one ounce of nice in Bonzo. He also mentions again how all the extras were scared of him on set.

Source: Young Hollywood

June 2, 2013
Moises Arias Always Stayed in Character on ‘Ender’s Game’ Set

Moises Arias, who plays Bonzo Madrid in Ender’s Game, talked with Backstage and revealed how he stayed in character all the time while doing Ender’s Game.

“I actually stayed in character the whole time I was on set. I heard the extras were scared of me. I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I was just trying to stay in the mindset. At the end they finally started talking to me and admitted to me that I had scared them.”

Fans of the book have noted the big height difference between Asa and Moises, asking why someone who is supposed to intimidate Ender is so much shorter. Moises addresses this as well.

“[W]ith ‘Ender’s Game,’ the character was described as dark-hair, light eyes, six foot tall, bigger than everyone. I’m 5’1”. I’m basically the opposite of that. But I guess it just depends on the vision of the director and how much heart you put into it.”

While I think a lot of us had assumed that his portrayal/audition had convinced director Gavin Hood about his Bonzo, it’s nice to hear it straight from him.

Source: Backstage

May 14, 2013
Fansite Exclusive: New ‘Ender’s Game’ Movie Still of Salamander Army

Now that you’ve seen EnderWiggin.net’s exclusive reveal of the official Salamander Army logo, as well as the logos for Dragon, Rat, and Asp armies, it’s time to show you why that was just a teaser for today’s reveal. (make sure you enter to win a set of Ender’s Game army magnets or pin buttons HERE)

I’m very happy to be one of four fansites revealing the second official still from the Ender’s Game movie, which, as of today, is 253 days from release. This new still is chock full of amazing new content for fans who have been dying for more since December, when we got our first look at Colonel Graff staring down young Ender Wiggin.

Without further ado, here is a first look at the Battle School mess hall with Salamander Army:

Not only do we see Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin again, you get your first look at Hailee Steinfeld as Petra Arkanian (left), Khylin Rhambo as Dink Meeker (right, next to Ender), and Moises Arias as Bonzo Madrid (end of the table on the left). Since there’s a whole lot more going on besides these four characters (see the Battle Room sphere on the board!?), be sure read my still breakdown article coming later today.

In the meantime, I get to dish a little bit more about our visit to the set last year.

We’d been given a list of people we might be seeing and Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, and director Gavin Hood’s names practically screamed themselves from my laptop. I was pretty pumped. We’d also be talking to Conor Carroll (Bernard), Khylin Rhambo (Dink), Aramis Knight (Bean), and Suraj Partha (Alai).

I went into the set visit expecting to see and speak to these seven people, which made me unprepared for all the other people we got to spend time with that day. One of the first surprises of the day was when we were introduced to producer Roberto Orci, which almost made my head explode.

I’d only seen photos of him and hadn’t a clue he’d be there on the set, much less that we’d be spending the day with him. And while it sounds odd to be a “fan” of a movie producer, you have to keep in mind that I’m a huge fan of things like LOST, Fringe, the Star Trek reboots, the Hawaii Five-O reboot, all of which he’s produced or written. I see his name everywhere. And since I have a young son, I’ve seen or been forced to listen to the Transformers movies at least two dozen times which, again, he wrote.

We were in a room whose walls were covered in concept art and storyboards and I almost felt like I should avert my eyes because I’m so used to not seeing such things until a DVD release. A presentation began and we met several producers from Odd Lot Entertainment.

They told us so much in that first hour and a half that I admit I was confused. I’d never expected them to be so open and passionate about the movie, rivaling us fansites. It was like sitting in a room with fans who were 10 times the fans you were. It was humbling to say the least.

After the presentation, they took us on a set tour that included the Launchie barracks that we saw in the first still, Ender’s private quarters, and the infirmary. We were taken to the video village where we saw some scenes being filmed. Garrett Warren, the film’s stunt coordinator came by to talk to us and was so fun to meet.

We headed over to interview the very well-spoken and lovely Hailee Steinfeld, a very intense but also very nice Asa Butterfield, and director Gavin Hood. While it was amazing to interview the young actors who would be playing Ender and Petra, it was eye-opening to talk to Gavin Hood. It was immediately plain to us that he’s a huge fan of the book and after talking to him, I personally felt like the film was in great hands with him.

Having been a fan of Game of Thrones for over ten years, it was surreal when the monstrously large Nonso Anozie (Sergeant Dap in Ender’s Game and Xaro Xhoan Daxos in Thrones) walked– or rather, hunched over — to get into the room. Getting to then discuss movies and Pop Tarts with him was just amazing. We met a lot of the Battle School cadets, including Bean, who all seemed to be great kids who were huge fans of the novel and extremely excited to be a part of the film.

Our tour continued after lunch with a meeting with costume designer Christine Bieselin-Clark, who actually let us touch the flash suits. Nerd out!

We continued on to the props department, which was really cool because even that guy could bring up scenes from the book as if it was nothing. We then talked to set designers Ben Procter and Sean Haworth, who immediately passed our now standard Did-You-Read-Ender’s-Game Test. We were back to sitting in the Launchie barracks again and with that scenery around us, I think the sole question in all of our minds was just, “How do you build something like this from the ground up?” It was a continual thought in my mind as we walked through the Battle School and Eros sets.

And with that, yes, we did get to walk around on Eros. We were actually very fortunate in that they were at the point of production where they were filming Ender’s final battle scene. We stood on that set and I had to resist the urge to turn to my fellow tourists and shake them senseless in excitement. All I will say at this point is that the finale scene that I’d imagined seemed like a shriveled raisin compared to what they had in production.

As if that wasn’t enough, towards the end of our day, they told us they were able to get us 10 minutes with Sir Ben Kingsley. Let me tell you, sitting in a dark Formic room frantically trying to think of questions to ask a knighted actor is a whole lot of pressure.

Those of you that have been reading my site for a while have probably wondered why I seem so on board with the film despite some the changes (which are inevitable with a book to film adaptation). Hopefully this gives you a better idea of why. Everyone we met from the crew to the actors to the producers were all fans of the book and were all so excited to be working on the movie.

As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve left out specific details and quotes, as that’s all still to come as we approach the movie’s release come November 1st.

To stay up to date with all the latest news about the movie, the actors, and upcoming book releases in the Enderverse, be sure to follow EnderWiggin.net, available on the following social media networks:

If you’ve been looking for an Ender’s Game podcast, be sure to check out the podcast EnderCast, which I co-host with Kelly from Ender News.

February 20, 2013
Harrison Ford and Abigail Breslin Officially Join Cast of ‘Ender’s Game’

A slew of actors were reported to be officially joining the cast of Ender’s Game today, with Harrison Ford being cast as Colonel Hyram Graff and Abigail Breslin as Ender’s sister Valentine Wiggin.

Other casting announcements:

Aramis Knight has been cast as Bean, Ender’s smallest and most brilliant recruit in Dragon Army.

Moises Arias has been cast as Bonzo Madrid, the leader of Salamander and Ender’s first commander.

Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak has been cast as Peter Wiggin, Ender’s sociopath older brother.

Conor Carroll has been cast as Bernard, the first enemy that Ender makes on the shuttle launch to Battle School.

Khylin Rhambo has been cast as Dink Meeker, Ender’s friend and ally in the Battle School.

Suraj Parthasarathy has been cast as Alai, one of Ender’s toon leaders in Dragon Army.

Source: Variety

December 21, 2011
Casting Calls Go Out for Ender Wiggin and More

According to io9, casting calls have gone out for the film adaptation of Ender’s Game, which is a strong indication that things are finally moving for the movie going into production.

An obvious concern is finding quality actors at such a young age and while Ender is only 5 when he’s recruited, that’s obviously an incredibly difficult age to cast for such a crucial and “smart” role. The script indicates that Ender is 10 instead of 5. While this is a significant jump in age, it’s an understandable change.

Details on the characters they’re casting:

Ender Wiggin: He’s depicted as smart and sensitive, but also incredibly ruthless. There are a few scenes where he worries about being like his cut-throat brother Peter, and confides in his sister Valentine. Just like in the book, he dishes out a rough treatment to Bonzo Madrid, his former platoon leader, when Bonzo tries to bully him too much. And then he feels bad about it. The screenplay also includes some scenes where Ender has weird nightmares about the buggers — and he tries to understand where the buggers are coming from, and what their children are like. Ender is pissed at Graff because he keeps changing the rules in the war “exercises.”

The scene where Ender finds out that his final victory was not, in fact, a game is pretty intense, and features Ender and Graff both trying to talk at the same time. Ender is saying “They came to establish a colony, we chased them away… in fifty years they have never returned,” while Graff is saying, “It makes no difference now,” and then Ender is saying “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds,” at the same time as Graff is saying “What are you talking about?” Finally, Ender is saying “I will bear the shame of this xenocide forever,” at the same moment as Graff is saying, “You will be remembered as a hero.” It ends with Ender getting an injection, knocking him out.

Bean: We get to see Bean watching a heavily edited video of Mazer Rackham’s famous victory over the formics, in which Mazer fires his nuclear warhead into the formics’ exhaust system. And Bean is so thrilled he throws his hands in the air and shouts with joy — until Ender bursts his bubble, explaining that the video is edited so we don’t see Mazer die. (And later, Ender also hints that Mazer’s victory might have had a darker side, that’s also edited out.) In another scene, Graff shows Bean and Ender to the famous zero-gravity training room, where they float around with a bunch of other kids. Ender explains to Bean that there’s no “up or down” in zero-G, and then they discover their weapons actually freeze anyone they shoot at, by causing the spacesuits to swell up. They team up to go freeze some of the other kids.

Peter Wiggin: Ender’s brother is fully a psychopath in this version of the screenplay. He’s insanely jealous that Ender was chosen for the battle school, and completely enraged when it seems like Ender has washed out of the program. At one point, he locks their sister, Valentine, out of the room and forces Ender to put on a Formic mask so they can play Formics and Astronauts, which basically consists of Peter beating the crap out of Ender.

Valentine Wiggin: She’s the gentler, sweeter member of the Wiggin family, who’s always there for Ender — except for when the people in charge of the school won’t let Ender communicate with her. She tries to protect Ender from Peter, but mostly fails — and just like in the book, she convinces Ender to return to the school when he tries to drop out after he hurts Bonzo Madrid. She explains to Ender that what makes us human is our brains, and we didn’t evolve those brains so that we can lie around lakes — we evolved them for killing, or else we wouldn’t still be around. We’d have been killed by wild animals. She alone grasps that Ender has to understand his enemy to defeat them, and in understanding the enemy, he grows to love the enemy — right before he destroys it.

Bonzo Madrid: Just like in the book, he’s a swaggering idiot whose platoon has won most of its most recent battles, and he resents being saddled with a useless, untrained snot like Ender. He orders Ender to stay out of the way during battles, and not even use his weapon. Later, he takes a group of his homies to try and ambush Ender in the shower.

Rose the Nose: The commander of Rat Army, where Ender gets traded after he leaves Bonzo’s toon. Rose has a high opinion of his own leadership skills, even though he knows that his platoon leader, Dink, is “God.” Rose has a terrible fear of losing, but can’t face the fact that he’s winning thanks to Dink and Ender.

Dink Meeker: In the script pages we read, Dink is one of the characers who befriends Ender in the Rat Army, helping to protect him a bit and showing him how to go float in the zero-G chamber to relax.

Petra Arkanian: The only girl in Ender’s first toon, she also befriends Ender and tries to protect him — and when Bonzo decides to keep Ender out of combat, Petra offers to help him train in their spare time. Later, she and Dink are both in Ender’s Jeesh, and she’s a key part of the final assault on the bugger planet.

Alai: Just like in the book, he’s a gentle Muslim boy who moves Ender with his friendship and his professions of peace.

Mick: He’s a heavyset boy who just wants to make it through this school in one piece and get home — and he’s happy to help himself to other people’s desserts.

Source: io9

September 28, 2011