I'm sure I'm in the minority in thinking that Ender's Game would make a horrible film. Maybe I don't remember the book well enough, but I see it being awfully repetitive. Many devoted readers, though, are eagerly awaiting the arrival of little Bean to the big screen, so I hope for them that it isn't another disappointing adaptation. On the plus side, the book's author, Orson Scott Card, has written the script. On the minus side, Card thinks Serenity is the "best science fiction movie, ever" and in the past wrote that he wants Ender's Game to be the kind of movie that Serenity is or else never be made.

The author talked with IGN this week and had some more good and bad news for the fans. First the bad: the movie has stalled again, as Warner Bros. has put the project in turnaround. It isn't known why the studio changed its mind -- it seemed all set to go at the end of last year with Wolfgang Petersen directing -- but Card actually is happy they did. That is apparently the good news: the producers are now looking to bring the project to another studio or even finance it independently. I guess the benefit seems to be that the filmmakers will not begin the thing until they know they can make it right.

Card also dished out some other bits about the film, which are neither good nor bad. He says his script, which includes nothing of the past draft written by David Benioff and Dan Weiss, is an adaptation of both Ender's Game and its follow-up, Ender's Shadow -- though seemingly only includes parts of each. He also said that the film's producers aren't intending on making this into a franchise (I bet that is what turned off WB) and squashed rumors that Ridley Scott would be taking over from Petersen. Maybe Joss Whedon is a fan and could make Card's dreams come true.

Most American audiences know Chiwetel from his small part in Love Actually; he played the groom to Keira Knightley's blinding ultra-white toothy smile. Americans who don't know him from that probably know him from playing the antagonist in Serenity, where he almost single-handedly managed to outshine Nathan Fillion and crew. He played the lead in last year's Sundance hit Kinky Boots, where he literally walked away with the entire film. If you haven't seen Kinky Boots, I can't recommend it enough, last year I found myself liking it despite the predictable storyline and the hit-you-over-the-head message. This guy has so much charisma that he should be marketing and selling what's left over.

Although classically trained as a Shakespearean actor in the UK, his first film role was in Spielberg's 1997 Amistad. Since then he's also been seen in Dirty Pretty Things, She Hate Me, Four Brothers and Melinda and Melinda. He had four major film roles in 2005, and so far this year he's been in both Inside Man and Children of Men, which isn't too shabby. He has four big projects lined up in 2007, including two that pair him with Don Cheadle, and he can be seen in HBO's Tsunami: The Aftermath on Sunday, December 10.

Chiwetel ("Chewie," to his friends and Han Solo) is one of those actors who can be difficult to describe. He really has a commanding screen presence, but he doesn't have the forced "I'm the star!" quality of someone like Russell Crowe. He's more quiet and imposing without chewing up the scenery. He's played both a a cross-dressing drag queen (is that redundant? Like, a drag queen who dresses like a man? I think I just confused myself) and an interstellar bounty hunter in equally convincing and different manners. It's hard to be the Scene Stealer when you're not someone who tries to completely fill the screen with your presence, like Alan Rickman and Parker Posey do pretty well, but Chiwetel (I know that sounds like I'm on a first-name basis with the guy, but it sounded better than typing Ejiofor over and over) pulls it off in every role he's been in so far. Here's hoping he'll keep his streak running.

Besides, when's the last time we've been rooting for someone named Chewie that wasn't covered in fur?

Browncoats, I need your help yet again. By now, it is a well established fact that while I respect and admire Joss Whedon, I don't really get him. I wish I did, but I don't. I dig what he does, I love the relationship he has with his fans ... but I am only an outside observer. I'm not part of the magic. So I've gotta ask you Whedonites when it comes to Joss issues if I really want to get an accurate reading of the community response. If anyone knows of any gateway Whedon drugs or intro communities, let me know.

Okay, here's the story. An early draft of Joss Whedon's Serenity script is now being offered on EBay. It weighs in at a very healthy 190 pages, and includes quite a lot which underwent big changes before making it to the silver screen. It is Whedon's work, but it comes with this disclaimer: "...it is not the final version he filmed, directed, and edited together. That final version, the one we've seen up on the screen, is the version he's proud of. I may not be doing him or you any favors by telling you about his early ideas. But there is a lot of great stuff here that Browncoats would love to know about." My question is this -- if the guy doesn't really have Whedon's blessing to sell this script (which I believe his disclaimer clearly indicates), is it kosher for browncoats to go buying it? Are you a real fan if you buy the early draft of a cool movie, or are you a real fan if you stick with what Joss himself wanted you to know and see?

A number of dedicated Browncoats, as fans of Joss Whedon's Serenity are called, have organized an enormous event called "Serenity Now/Equality Now" to be held on June 22, 23 and 24. They are showing the film, which was spun-off from the cult TV-series Firefly, throughout the United States, Canada, England, Scotland and Australia to benefit Whedon's favorite charity, Equality Now. The occasion marks the one-year anniversary of the last advance screening of Serenity before its official release, and June 23 is also Whedon's birthday.

So far the event has 21 cities listed (each location is showing the film on one of the three days), but anyone living somewhere it isn't screening is encouraged to set up a show of their own. The website Can't Stop the Serenity gives information on renting a print from Universal, gaining public performance rights and finding a venue.  

I have to say, Browncoats are becoming my favorite sci-fi geek cult. They are active, they're united and they're doing it all to help women and girls of the world who are suffering from violence and discrimination. If you love Serenity, help out by at least attending one of the screenings if not putting one together yourself.