It’s been a busy day for Ender’s Game fans. Earlier, we learned that the first official trailer for Gavin Hood’s sci-fi adventure will arrive roughly a week from now, on May 7. Then, EW.com shared the first look at Sir Ben Kingsley in character as war hero Mazer Rackham in the anticipated adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s 1985 novel.
On creating the character, Kingsley says:
It’s alchemy. In the script, which I think is beautifully written, what come across is the authority and mystery. There’s quite a lot said about him in the story before you see him — by the recruits and by his fellow officers — and that’s useful as far as preparations.”
As the story goes, Rackham was a pivotal figure in the early battles against the Formics, a race of extraterrestrial creatures that wage a protracted war with our civilzation. Rackham will train our planet’s next great hope, Ender (Asa Butterfield), during the young soldier’s time spent at Command School. Kingsley isn’t Ender’s only tutor. Harrison Ford plays IF Commander Hyrum Graff in the film adaptation, and we saw a side-profile shot of the actor in costume much earlier. We’ll likely see a ton of the entire cast when the trailer drops next week.
As for Kingsley’s look in the character, he is half-Maori, and the markings on his face are tattoos that pack more meaning than casual audiences might realize.
“Every gesture in the tattoo carries family history, family struggles – it’s your past,” the actor said. “I was so enthralled. He’s in quite a contained, stylized uniform but then this wonderful face tells his warrior history.”
We expect to have a lot of our questions answered by next week’s trailer, and we’ll certainly bring you that as soon as it arrives. For now, Ender’s Game reaches theaters on Nov. 1. What do you think about Kingsley as Rackham?
