Lionsgate has released the first trailer for director Gavin Hood’s anticipated adaptation of the Orson Scott Card novel Ender’s Game.  The film tells the story of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a young boy sent away to Battle School to hone his military skills and, hopefully, save the world from an impending alien invasion.  I plan to read the book before I see the movie, but was someone who is unfamiliar with the material, nothing in this trailer really leaps out at me.  It feels like they’re pushing a Hunger Games-vibe (putting a heavy burden on young adults) plus a lot of CG.  Also, Harrison Ford sounds really bored even though his narration is about trying to save humanity from annihilation.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Viola Davis, Khylin Rhambo, Moises Arias, and Ben Kingsley.  Ender’s Game opens on November 1st.

The long-awaited adaptation of Orson Scott Card‘s Ender’s Game will finally arrive this year, and the first trailer will finally arrive on Tuesday.  The film tells the story of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a young boy sent away to Battle School to hone his military skills and, hopefully, save the world from an impending alien invasion.  A “teaser trailer announcement” featuring star Butterfield and co-star Harrison Ford has been released, and it provides the first footage from the film.  I haven’t read the book yet, and I’m certainly not going to evaluate what I expect from the movie from five seconds of footage.  It’s going to take at least 90 seconds of footage.

Hit the jump to check out the video.  The film also stars Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, Nonso Anozie, Moises Arias, and Aramis Knight.  Ender’s Game opens November 1st.

Though director J.J. Abrams is undoubtedly deep in development on the very highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII, we still have yet to hear any official word about the film’s plot or its characters.  Rumors have swirled that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford will be reprising their roles in the sequel, and the actors have hinted at, confirmed, denied, and walked back their involvement in the follow-up numerous times.  Understandably there are some potentially very lucrative contracts to be drawn up with the trio should they sign on, and it sounds like they’re currently in some stage of negotiations for their return but can’t really confirm as much until the terms are settled.

The notoriously prickly Ford has been lambasted with Star Wars questions recently while on the press tour for 42, and he stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to promote the film.  During his appearance, he took part in a pretty funny bit in which he agreed to answer questions from audience members only if they didn’t ask about Star Wars.  As one can imagine, things didn’t exactly go as planned.  Hit the jump to watch Ford be a surprisingly good sport.

Football may currently be the most popular sport in America, but baseball will always be “America’s Pastime”.  It was our first widely popular sport, and it contained both the best of our abilities and the worst of our perceptions.  Segregation in baseball was never official.  It was an unwritten rule agreed upon by the owners and “enforced” by the commissioner.  Baseball, in its rules, is a pure sport, but in its practice, was tainted by institutional racism.  Jackie Robinson didn’t just break the color barrier in a sport; he completed the greatness of America’s Pastime. He is a transformative figure, and in 42, writer-director Brian Helgeland pays complete and utter devotion to Robinson’s legend.  Strangely, despite his attempt to paint Robinson’s accomplishment as a mythic battle between good and evil, the story never feels larger than a TV movie.

The sports drama 42 tells a story of heroism and achievement that forever changed the game of baseball.  When trailblazing Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) signed Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) in 1947, he broke Major League Baseball’s infamous color line, shocking both the public and the other players.  Tested in a way that seemed insurmountable, Robinson demonstrated such tremendous courage and restraint, instead letting his talent on the field win over the fans, his teammates and the world.

During a press conference at the film’s press day, co-stars Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford, along with writer/director Brian Helgeland, talked about the influence of Jackie Robinson in both his own era and today, what made them want to be a part of this film, how much involvement Rachel Robinson (Jackie Robinson’s widow) had, and how they hope the positive portrayal of African Americans in this film will inspire other filmmakers.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.  

Warner Bros. has released seven clips from the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, led by Chadwick Boseman.  Harrison Ford co-stars as Branch Rickey, the general manager who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball by signing Robinson to the Dodgers.  It’s a curious performance by Ford, who wraps a thick dialect around such mouthfuls as:

“Someday you’re going to meet God.  And when he inquires as why you didn’t take the field against Robinson in Philadelphia, and you answer that it’s because he was a negro, it may not be a sufficient reply!”

Since we are withholding judgement until we see the full context of the performance, let’s focus on the fact that the period piece photography is sharp, and Boseman looks to be a charasmatic lead.  Christopher Meloni, Ryan Merriman, Brad Beyer, Judy Tylor, Jon Bernthal, Nicole Beharie, and T.R. Knight co-star.  Directed by Brian Helgeland, 42 opens April 12.  Watch the clips after the break.

We have over 40 new images from director Brian Helgeland’s Jackie Robinson biopic 42 to share with you today.  Starring Chadwick Boseman (Persrons Unknown) in the lead role, 42 tells the story of Robinson, the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Harrison Ford co-stars as Branch Rickey, the MLB exec who signed Robinson into the minors and ushered him along to the pros.  Also starring Nicole Beharie, T.R. Knight, Christopher Meloni and Toby Huss, 42 opens April 12th.  Hit the jump to see 45 new images from the film along with some behind-the-scenes shots. 

Another day, another semi-confirmation of a Star Wars return for an actor from the original trilogy.  Despite Joss Whedon’s thoughts on the matter, it seems inevitable now that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford will be reprising their roles from the original Star Wars trilogy in the J.J. Abrams-helmed Episode VII.  Hamill previously said the trio was in talks, Fisher has outright confirmed that she’ll be back, and George Lucas said it’s pretty much a done deal.  Now you can add the final piece of the puzzle to the pile, as Harrison Ford has essentially confirmed that they’ll all be back saying, “I think it’s happening.”  Hit the jump for more.

Over the past month, we’ve heard various stories about the involvement of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford for J.J. Abrams‘ Star Wars: Episode VII.  Ford was reportedly on board, but then another report said that contract signings were still a ways off.  Then Hamill said they were in talks, but nothing had been signed.  Yesterday, Fisher confirmed she would return to play Princess Leia.  Any way you slice it, it looks like the characters are in the script for the new movie, and the only question is when it will be declared official that the trio of actors are reprising their roles.

Your trust in George Lucas may have been shaken by the prequels, but you can still probably take his word when it comes to the business side of things even though he’s not actively involved in the new trilogy.  Hit the jump for what he had to say about Hamill, Fisher, and Ford’s return.

In case you’re still in shock over yesterday’s fantastic news that Harrison Ford has joined the cast of the sequel Anchorman: The Legend Continues, some photographic proof has popped up online proving that Ford is indeed starring in the comedy.  A couple of new photos from the Atlanta set have surfaced, giving us our fist look at Ford’s “legendary anchorman” character as well as new looks at Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy and Christina Applegate’s Veronica Corningstone.  It’s nothing too mind-blowing, but it’s most definitely neat to see Ford in character walking alongside the one and only Ron Burgundy.

Hit the jump to take a look at the images.  Directed by Adam McKay, the film also stars Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Meagan Good, and Dylan Baker.  Anchorman: The Legend Continues opens on December 20th.

Filming on Anchorman 2 is underway, but the flick continues to add great actors to its cast.  THR is reporting that Harrison Ford has signed on to play “a legendary newscaster a la Tom Brokaw.”  Ford has settled comfortably into playing supporting roles lately, and he’ll be sharing the screen this year in the upcoming films 42, Paranoia, and Ender’s Game.  The size of his role in Anchorman 2 or how it will factor into the plot is unknown as details on the story remain scarce.  However, we know that James Marsden will play Ron’s (Will Ferrell) nemesis, and that Ron is angling to go to New York City, which “is the holy grail for all newsmen,” according to director and co-writer Adam McKay.  We can also look out for Kristen Wiig to play a love interest for the lovably legally-retarded Brick Tamland (Steve Carell).

The film also stars Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Meagan Good, Dylan Baker, and John C. Reilly.  Anchorman: The Legend Continues opens December 20th. [Update:  The first set photos have leaked online.  Hit the jump to check them out.]

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mark Hamill spoke at length regarding his involvement with Star Wars: Episode VII.  Yesterday, Showbiz 411 reported that Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford were all set to return, although an earlier report said a deal with Ford wouldn’t be closed for weeks or possibly months.  In this case, it’s best to go straight to the source, and Hamill confirmed his earlier comments that George Lucas wanted to know if they were interested, and that the filmmakers have been talking to them.  Lucas also told Hamill that if they didn’t want to do the sequels, “they wouldn’t cast another actor in our parts; they would write us out.”  And on that day, George Lucas finally did something right again.  Hamill went on to say, “I can tell you right away that we haven’t signed any contracts. We’re in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm.”  Hamill added “Both have had meetings set that were postponed — on their end, not mine. They’re more busy than I am.”

Hit the jump for much more including what Hamill assumes will happen with the characters, other actors he’d like to see return, and the visual style of the sequels.

In November, we reported that Harrison Ford was open to returning for Star Wars: Episode VII.  Today, we’ve learned that the scruffy nerdherder Han Solo will likely appear in the upcoming, long-awaited sequel.  This casting clues us in to at least a few details about the script.  First, at some point we have to see what takes place about 35 years after Return of the Jedi.  It doesn’t mean the film will begin or take place during that time, and Han Solo’s appearance may be a flashback, but if I recall correctly, there wasn’t a single flashback in any of the previous Star Wars films.  The most you got was a recording of events that had already happened.

Hit the jump for more.  Ford will be seen later this year in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, the thriller Paranoia, and the adaptation of Ender’s Game. [Update: Trusted reporter Geoff Boucher now says that this is far from a done deal. More after the jump.]

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for writer/director Brian Helgeland’s real life drama 42.  The film chronicles how Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boesman) and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) worked together to eradicate segregation in baseball in 1947.  This longer trailer does a nice job of selling the film as more thrilling and exciting than your typical cradle-to-grave biopic (again enhanced by Jay-Z), but I think the first trailer popped a bit more.  The performances look impressive and I like the visual aesthetic that Helgeland has settled on, so here’s hoping we’re in for an engaging iteration of a truly powerful story.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer, and click here to watch a new featurette.  The film also stars Christopher Meloni, Jon Bernthal, Alan Tudyk, and John C. McGinley.  42 opens on April 12th.

Warner Bros. has released a rather fascinating featurette for the upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic 42.  Written and directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), the film chronicles how Robinson (Chadwick Boesman) and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) worked together to eradicate segregation in baseball in 1947.  In addition to showing off new footage from the film, the featurette includes interviews with the cast and crew, as well as Robinson’s wife Rachel and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, about Jackie Robinson’s effect on the game and the culture of baseball in the 1940s.  We also get a close look at Ford’s rather distracting wig and fake eyebrows.

Hit the jump to watch the featurette.  The film also stars Christopher Meloni, Jon Bernthal, Alan Tudyk, and John C. McGinley.  42 opens on April 12th.