Lionsgate Calls 'Ender's Game' Author's Anti-Gay Views 'Completely Irrelevant'

Lionsgate called Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card's anti-same-sex marriage views "completely irrelevant" to the forthcoming big-budget movie version of the hit book.
A gay rights-oriented sci-fi and pop culture group called Geeks Out organized an online effort to get fans to boycott the movie because of Scott's views. Card's views had become an issue in February when he signed on to write a Superman comic for DC. He later dropped out amid the furor on his views. Now Lionsgate is stepping in to quell the controversy less than a week before it is scheduled to promote the movie at Comic-Con. The studio had already announced that Card would not appear at the Hall H panel for the movie, which will feature stars Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, director Gavin Hood and producer Bob Orci. Lionsgate calls itself "proud longtime supporters of the LGBT community" and that it does "not agree with the personal views of Orson Scott Card and those of the National Organization for Marriage" [the anti-same-sex marriage organization associated with Card]."The simple fact is that neither the underlying book nor the film itself reflect these views in any way, shape or form. On the contrary, the film not only transports viewers to an entertaining and action-filled world, but it does so with positive and inspiring characters who ultimately deliver an ennobling and life-affirming message."The statement ends with Lionsgate reaffirming its commitment to the LGBT community. On July 8, Card tried to pre-empt criticism by issuing a statement to Entertainment Weekly saying the book had nothing to do with his political views and asking for "tolerance" from same-sex marriage supporters because "with the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot."He added,"it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute."See Lionsgate's full statement:“As proud longtime supporters of the LGBT community, champions of films ranging from GODS AND MONSTERS to THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER and a Company that is proud to have recognized same-sex unions and domestic partnerships within its employee benefits policies for many years, we obviously do not agree with the personal views of Orson Scott Card and those of the National Organization for Marriage. However, they are completely irrelevant to a discussion of ENDER’S GAME. The simple fact is that neither the underlying book nor the film itself reflect these views in any way, shape or form. On the contrary, the film not only transports viewers to an entertaining and action-filled world, but it does so with positive and inspiring characters who ultimately deliver an ennobling and life-affirming message. Lionsgate will continue its longstanding commitment to the LGBT community by exploring new ways we can support LGBT causes and, as part of this ongoing process, will host a benefit premiere for ENDER’S GAME."

Book News: 'Ender's Game' Author Responds To Boycott Threats

Orson Scott Card poses at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, in 2008.

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
The Ender's Game author and anti-gay activist Orson Scott Card responded to boycotts threats against the upcoming film adaptation starring Harrison Ford. The queer geek group Geeks OUT is organizing boycotts and "Skip Ender's Game" events in several U.S. cities because of Card's views on homosexuality. He wrote in 2008 that "marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down." Card responded to the backlash in a statement to Entertainment Weekly: "With the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot. ... Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute."A few weeks after a historic collection of black history books was discovered in a dumpster outside a school in Highland Park, Mich., protests continue and a school board member has resigned. City Emergency Manager Donald Weatherspoon said the collection had been thrown away by accident but noted that the city didn't have the resources to maintain it, according to The Detroit Free Press. Residents pulled about a thousand books on black culture and history from the trash. The collection was started after the civil rights movement, when demand began to grow for a school curriculum that included black history.Amazon announced Tuesday that it will launch a comics and graphic novels imprint called Jet City Comics. One of their first publications will be a comic adaptation of George R.R. Martin's short story "Meathouse Man," which Martin says is "one of my strangest, darkest, and most twisted short stories."GOP Colorado Senate candidate Jaxine Bubis was recently revealed to be Jaxine Daniels, author of steamy erotic novels. Bubis joins a list of porn-dabbling politicians, including Scooter Libby and his 2005 novel The Apprentice.Rejoice, unhappy spinsters of America — the "Princeton mom" is writing a self-help book to help you "avoid an unwanted life of spinsterhood with cats."Reed Johnson writes about the enigmatic "Voynich manuscript," a medieval text written in an unbroken code, noting "the perverse sway that the book has over its would-be conquerors." He writes: "But as much as each of us strives to be the one to crack the code, I think few of us would truly like to see it solved ... the book's resistance to being read is what sets it apart. Undeciphered, the manuscript exists in a sort of quantum indeterminacy — one that collapses into a single meaning the moment the text is finally measured and understood. And no matter how thrilling such a text might be, it will remain a disappointment for being closed off, completed — for being, in the end, no longer a mystery."According to The Mumbai Mirror, Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of the newly-merged Penguin Random House, has asked the author Vikram Seth to return a $1.7 million advance for failing to turn in his manuscript for A Suitable Girl, the sequel to his hugely successful (and, at about 1,400 pages, huge) novel A Suitable Boy. Seth's agent told The Mirror by phone that "Vikram has been known to take his time with his books. Our aim is to settle this new date with Hamish. If we can't, then Vikram will decide what he wants to do next."

'Hunger Games 2,' 'Ender's Game' to Get Dolby Atmos Mix (Exclusive)

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Ender's Game will both get a Dolby Atmos mix, meaning the movies will be released in two immersive new sound formats.

Barco recently announced that both films would be mixed for its Auro 11.1 sound system.

DreamWorks Animation’s Turbo and Sony’s Elysium also are upcoming titles that will use both sound formats.

An issue has developed over how to create and distribute mixes for these new systems, as the formats are not compatible and therefore each requires a separate mix.

Numerous industry leaders have called for standards, and organizations including NATO, the Union Internationale des Cinemas (UNIC) and standards setting body Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers are working toward that goal. But not all parties agree as to how this might be achieved.

Recent titles offered in Atmos include Star Trek Into Darkness, Man of Steel and Pacific Rim, which will have its premiere in Dolby Atmos on Tuesday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.