Looking at its individual components, it was easy to see why there was so much expectation surrounding the long-awaited arrival of sci-fi literary adaptation Ender’s Game in 2013.
The source material had proven hugely popular, selling millions of copies and winning enthusiastic reviews, and Hollywood persevered with the project through over a decade of development hell, funneling upwards of $100 million into the production and recruiting a stacked cast that numbered Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, and Abigail Breslin to lend support to star Asa Butterfield.
Unfortunately, all it took to cut Ender’s Game off at the knees was its own creator, with author Orson Scott Card’s unapologetically anti-LGBTQ+ stance creating plenty of controversy. The scribe had made his views on same-sex marriage and homosexuality perfectly clear, leading for widespread calls to boycott the film.
Whether that was the cause or not, Ender’s Game tanked at the box office are earning only $125 million, despite solid Rotten Tomatoes scores of 62 and 65 percent from critics and crowds. It was a huge missed opportunity, but Redditors have been stating the case for a streaming service to take the plunge and reboot the property as a potential multi-season TV series.
It’s definitely got limitless potential to thrive on the small screen, the only question is whether or not the less discerning viewer would feel uneasy giving it their support due to Card’s infamously inflammatory stance. Top-tier cosmic content is becoming increasingly easy to find on the small screen, so why shouldn’t Ender’s Game be added to the roster?