How do you transform a pack of genius teens into a blood thirsty mega army? Simple: Use futuristic implants that allow commanders to "see through their eyes" — plus lots and lots of training.
The movie adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is currently filming in New Orleans (directed by Gavin Hood). While we've yet to see Ender himself (Asa Butterfield from Hugo), at least some new set pics have shown the back of his neck. Plus get a good look at Ender's bedroom and his very own 3D Printer — because in the future, children print their own toys.
For those of you unaware of the plot, here's the official movie synopsis:
In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would havebeen lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite.
Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself andwinning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military's next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he's trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.
And now, onto the implants. From the official Ender's Game Tumblr (on the implants):
Though Ender's world is one worth saving, it sometimes comes with a price. The novel was amazingly prescient about a great many things: remote controlled drone wars, the internet, the influence of blogging, hand held computing tablets like the I-Pad, and of course, electronic surveillance implants. Implanted tracking and monitoring chips are no longer a science fiction concept. They exist now. And one day, they may be as advanced as the monitor implanted into Ender, which allows Colonel Graff to "see through his eyes" and know: HE'S THE ONE.
Next up is a shot of Ender's Room, including a 3D printer. Also spotted: a new-fangled touchscreen and some sort of spacecraft diagram (whether it's from the space wars, we're not sure). For an even more insanely detailed look, head over to Ender's Ansible.
And last, but certainly not least, here's a shot of a door that will house the legendary zero gravity battle training rooms. Where kids will be armed with freeze guns and forced to map out extensive battle plans, all with zero gravity. How they will pull this off, we have no idea — but we can't wait to see it.
If you think regular school is tough, try it in a rotating space station. And by the way, do you have a hall pass for hall number 0058? Because if you don't, you could end up scrubbing the showers. When you first arrive at Battle School, all you perceive is its utility, its functionality… that is until you enter the BATTLE ROOM, where there is no up, no down, and ZERO G's. Movie making can become overly reliant on digital worlds, and nothing can replace a well-built set that you can see and touch and stand in the middle of, fooling you into thinking you are really there. Enjoy this small taste of Ender's big world. We'll see a lot more in the weeks to come.