Harrison Ford joins sci-fi epic adaptation Ender’s Game

Harrison Ford, fresh off the sci-fi western Cowboys and Aliens, has been confirmed to appear in OddLot Entertainment’s epic sci-fi adaptation of the book Ender’s Game, along with Abigail Breslin and Hailee Steinfeld, Variety reports. Also starring in the film are Aramis Knight, Moises Arias, Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak, Suraj Parthasarathy, Conor Carroll and Khylin Rhambo.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine directer Gavin Hood will helm Ender’s Game from his own script, adapted from Orson Scott Card’s novel, with Summit Entertainment releasing the film in the U.S. on March 15, 2013. Set in Earth’s utopian future, Ender’s Game stars Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as a wunderkind child strategist recruited by the government to help destroy an insect-like alien race.

Ford will play Colonel Hyram Graff, who’s in charge of training young military recruits. Breslin will play Valentine Wiggin, Ender’s older sister, while Steinfeld plays Petra Arkanian, Ender’s trusted right hand.

OddLot’s Gigi Pritzker and Linda McDonough are producing with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman via their K/O Paper Products banner, as well as Lynn Hendee, Robert Chartoff and Card. OddLot’s Bill Lischak and K/O’s Mandy Safavi will executive produce Ender’s Game with Digital Domain’s Cliff Plumer and Ed Ulbrich. Sierra/Affinity is handling foreign sales for the pic, which will begin production in early 2012 in New Orleans.

Ford, no stranger to sci-fi epics, recently signed on to play famed Brooklyn Dodgers G.M. Branch Rickey in Legendary Pictures’ Jackie Robinson biopic, titled 42. Steinfeld starred in the Coen brothers’ True Grit and will soon play Juliet in Carlo Carlei’s upcoming adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic romance. Breslin can currently be seen in Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve as well as the film Janie Jones.