Ender's Game Q and A with Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Hailee SteinFeld and Gavin Hood

Ahead of the release of Gavin Hood's sci-fi epic Ender's Game, the stars were in London's Leicester Square for a Q&A event and to share some clips from the film with a huge crowd of expectant fans. After screening the trailer and two clips from the film released on October 25th, the stars took to the stage to answer questions from fans.

It got off to a rocky start with some unexpected delays but finally producers Bob Orci, Gigi Pritzker, stars Sir Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld and director Gavin Hood took their seats to much applause. Harrison Ford appeared to be in a good mood, if a little slow sadly these days as he speaks and thinks. Sir Ben spoke at length about his character while Asa Butterfield also had plenty to say on his experience of making the film. While Steinfeld was quiet, she was charming whenever she spoke. Director Gavin Hood and the producers all demonstrated their passion for the film and the book it was based on.

Nothing was mentioned on the whole Orson Scott Card homophobic controversy unfortunately as I would have been interested to see what would have been said on it. I completely understand people wanting to boycott this movie if you feel strongly about what Card has said in the past but on  the other hand, whether the guy is homophobic or not makes no difference to his talent as a writer. It's difficult as I don't want to make the guy even richer or give his views any more publicity but I think the film looks interesting and I hope it has some important points to make about war.

The book is nearly 30 years old and seems to have been very prescient. Gavin Hood gave us Tsotsi and adapted Card's much loved book for the screen. Producer Gigi Pritzker has been trying to get the film made since buying the rights 13 years ago so it's been a pretty epic struggle to get it made. Along with Butterfield, Steinfeld and the big guns Sir Ben and Mr Ford, the film also stars Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin and The Help's Viola Davis.

It could be Starship Troopers without the satire or it could be a serious Independence Day with added moral ambiguity and complex themes about the ethics of war. Either way it was an interesting Q&A and I hope you will check out my videos from the event below and at the bottom is the trailer:

Harrison Ford on Special effects from Star Wars to Ender's Game:

Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield and Gavin Hood on Ender's Game adaptation

Hailee Steinfeld on Ender's Game characters




Director Gavin Hood talks casting Ender's Game




Ben Kingsley discusses his character in Ender's Game




Asa Butterfield & Harrison Ford talk Ender's Game

Where are the Dead?

Alex Zane on stage

Some of you may have read about my zombie hunting mission to Leicester Square this Sunday.  If you didn't, check out the post here.  I was expecting the opposite of 28 Days Later's deserted streets.  I was expecting countless flesh-eating, decaying, gore-covered horror fans and maybe even some kind of Thriller inspired flash mob dance routine.  I was disappointed.  The few hours I spent in the new-look Leicester Square that doesn't actually look that new were spent, not cowering in the corners as expected, but desperately squinting into the sun to see if anyone had come dressed as a zombie.  I saw one, yes just one, embarrassed-looking girl in zombie make-up but she soon disappeared.

Taking the piss with Ted

But the trip was far from a total loss.  The Sun's film reviewer Alex Zane was on hand to do a horror film quiz with some fans from the crowd.  I  got to get a quick photo of myself in one of those interactive movie posters pretending to piss with Seth MacFarlane's Ted.  I also got to have a play with some interactive giant iPad type thing that had loads of trailers and stuff to look at. 


There were lots of posters dotted about the square and a wodge of cash with The Dictator's face on the notes stuffed in a transparent safe but really I was ready to go home after about twenty minutes of being there.  I didn't come for endless marketing, I came for zombies!

Giant iPad

Wadiya currency

Never mind.  Then the gathered people enjoyed a few trailers on the big screen on stage.  The likes of Prometheus, Storage 24 and Chernobyl Diaries all played before the hard core horror fans and the random families with small children that looked a little concerned about what they were seeing.

Noel Clarke in...

Johannes Roberts' Storage 24

Then it finally got really interesting with a Q&A with FrightFest organiser, founder and co-director Alan Jones.  His tales of being a film journalist were fascinating and inspiring and FrightFest sounds like a great place for fans of horror to descend over the August bank holiday every year.  It's a just a shame it clashes with Reading Festival otherwise I'd be there.  Maybe when I get too old for the music...

 Then came a final pleasant surprise in the form of a further Q&A with two of the cast members of upcoming Brit-horror Cockneys Vs Zombies.  It sounds potentially terrible from the title but the clips shown on the big screen gained quite a few laughs from the assembled crowd and it actually looks like it could be quite a promising horror-comedy.  Alan Ford, the terrifying Brick Top from Guy Ritchie's Snatch, answered questions with his co-star Michelle Ryan.  

Here's a news report from the set of Cockneys Vs Zombies.



And here's the trailer for Storage 24 from the director of hoodie horror F.  Incidentally, the director of this is Johannes Roberts who is coming to give a talk to my media students very soon.  So that's exciting!






Finally here's a quick video I uploaded of Alan Jones answering two questions: what is his favourite horror film and who are the most talented horror filmmakers working today?



So all in all it was quite a worth while trip, even if there were far less zombies than I had hoped for.

Zombies Attack London!

In case you are a Londoner and haven't heard about this, please go check out this link!

 'On Sunday 27 May, zombies will rise all over London and shuffle into the West End, invading the Leicester Square gardens from 12.00 noon – for Lawn of the Dead.'

Leicester Square has apparently been undergoing 18 months of redevelopment work and is re-opening this weekend.  I wouldn't know as it's an hour and £20 train ride away from me so I don't get up there very often!  However as it's the home of the Odeon that had the first digital projector in Europe and hosts the most premieres with a capacity for 1683 people, this is pretty much the centre of London's film exhibition.

Apparently there is going to be loads of stuff going on all weekend starting today:

'An array of interactive displays, costume characters and personal appearances will bring the new-look Leicester Square to life in a special film-themed event running from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 May.  Free to the public, the live event will showcase the quality and diversity of films coming to West End cinemas in 2012 in a variety of engaging ways - while also offering a glimpse of the spectacular film events hosted in Leicester Square during previous years.'

It sounds really exciting and pretty much a film lovers dream.  I hope the beautiful sunny weather that has just finally arrived holds out all weekend for the lucky Londoners in attendance.

In case you're wondering what the zombie invasion is about: 'The programme of relaunch events includes a celebration of FrightFest, which has haunted the Square for the last 12 years'.  Hence the zombies. 

And there's more.  In an email I was sent from See Film First, it says:

''Get down to the square for:
 ▪ interactive preview zone, in which visitors may select and view their own choice of content such as trailers, compilations and games on digital iTables;
 ▪ a family zone with entertainers, face painters, green-screen photo opportunities for audiences aged 3 plus;
 ▪ a performance zone that will feature a film quiz presented by Alex Zane, a Q&A with the world's leading stuntman Vic Armstrong as well as a movie fencing demonstration, and an insight into life as a leading film journalist with Empire magazine.'

If all that isn't exciting enough, you can 'come as a zombie or get a special make-over in the Square' if you head down on Sunday!

Head here for the full programme including the details of free screenings of Top Cat - The Movie and Red Tails.  The programme really suggests this would be a great family event but just be careful of all the marauding zombies on Sunday.

So is anyone going along to any of this?  I'm busy Friday and Saturday but am really hoping to go join the zombie madness on Sunday.  If I do, expect lots of ridiculous photos next week.

 Read more about it over at Screen Daily.