Changing a Characters Sex for the Movie

[Greenday]

My friend just posted on my facebook wall about how there's going to be an Ender's Game movie. I already knew this being obsessed with the books, but I went onto IMDB to check the release date and then I decided to look at the cast. Looks like a pretty solid cast until I hit Major Anderson. Major Anderson is being played by...Viola Davis. I recognize her from Law Abiding Citizen but she didn't exactly play a major role. I've never seen any of her other stuff.

But I have a problem with her being used as Major Anderson. Major Anderson is a man, not a woman. He was written as a man, he was a man in the books. I don't give a crap if he was written as a female originally, Card changed the character to a man and that's who we came to deal with in the books. It's going to drastically change the dynamics between Graff and Anderson and certainly not in a good way.

[HYHYBT]

And if it doesn't?

[Nekojin]

It's going to drastically change the dynamics between Graff and Anderson and certainly not in a good way.

Both Graff and Anderson are secondary characters, as far as the books go. The interactions between the two are few and far between, compared to everything else that goes on in the books. While having Anderson be female might change the power dynamic between the two, there's no reason to believe that it would change them significantly within the small windows we have to see them.

It's certainly not as significant of a change as if they had changed the gender of Bean, Petra, or (god forbid) Stilson.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Silent Hill

The "mommy looking for her child" is supposed to be the father (Harry Mason). I guess they had to make it a woman because women are all tigers when it comes to little children that daddies couldn't possibly be (something that Liam Neeson would disagree with!)

The changed the main character's gender. What zee hell!

[Ginger Tea]

If I were an adapted authour and found a character fucked with for the movie / tv show and it was to follow the books even ones not written failthully save for this one character, I would slashfic an unlikely coupling
"Hey in my books they are a hetrosexual male female buddy cops, but you didn't think that dynamic would work so you cast the Rock and Steve Austin for the rolls. Good luck convincing Steve he has to lube his anus for the sex that takes up most of the screen time."
And then explain to the world how he got pregnant (and no you can't just hand wave it and then say they adopted) although I wonder who would kick whos arse Steve Austin or Buck Angel.

[gremcint]

This is an issue that always bugs me both ways. In regards to both race and gender.

See most new movies and tv shows are based off of older media where white male was the dominant character type. So while on one hand I do prefer the respecting the original material in keeping with the races and genders of characters if we don't bend a little on this then the other ethnicities and genders won't really have much of a chance to break in. And in some cases it can work out really well, Starbuck in BSG.

[Andara Bledin]

Personally, I'm of the opinion that unless the sex (race, etc) of a character isn't part of an actual plotline, then it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme.

I might not like a change if it were made to a favorite tertiary character, but I'm not going to dwell on it unless it actually disrupts the overall story being told.

^-.-^

[Gravekeeper]

Yeah, I can't think of many examples were a gender swap has worked in a franchise. Starbuck in BSG is an example of it working very well, but that was largely because Starbuck's personality and plot arc had little to do with gender. Boomer got gender swapped too from the original BSG, but her plot arc in BSG relied on her gender.

So really, either gender has to mean nothing or it has to mean everything to the reimagined story to function properly.

The movie sounds like a Ender's Game reboot though. I haven't read the book in a long time, but I do recall there was a power dynamic between Anderson and Graff was there not? Changing Anderson's gender could throw a monkey wrench in that if its not handled well by a good writer. Provided they're playing it straight to the book.

But I don't think they are. Viola Davis said in an interview she hasn't read the book and doesn't intend too because Anderson in the book isn't the same character as what she's playing in the movie. I'm dubious on that opinion ( read the book dammit ) even if Anderson isn't the same kind of character in the movie.

Still, she does have the acting chops. So not concerned about her talent at least. You should worry more about the writing and directing as to whether or not it will work. >.>

[Mytical]

Again .. I am somewhere in the middle here. For instance..if somebody changed Captain America to a female..I would have an issue with it. Somebody changes Robin (yes I know it is BOY wonder, but meh) not so much. Yes the dynamic between Bruce and Robin would HAVE to change..but if done right it could open up a whole world of possibilities.

Some characters are Iconic..and definitely should be the gender they started out as..some can change and not really mess with things. It's much like race..I would not go for say a Chinese Captain America..but a Chinese Robin or even *gasp..gets ready to be shot* BATMAN I could see.

[Ginger Tea]

Female Robin was a post Dick Greyson new hire, don't know the story on how she got the gig and what time line it was set in, IIR when it was published in the late 80's early 90's it was set in the near future so probably around nowish.

Chinese Batman happened (sort of) Batman became a franchise in Batman International (or un/Limited) atop the 4th wall did a video on it ages ago, but I don't know how cannon it was before the 52reboot.

We've discussed 'elseworld' origin stories and how they could or would not work, like black Batman not being born into such wealth as the Wayne family unless set within the last few deades instead of when he was originally written.

The whole BSG genderswaps are greenlighted as TBH it's a reboot not a continuation of the franchies' original journey to earth (removing the on earth season).
They could have run it from a Matriarcle society and sidelined alot of male characters, they just needed the general premis, keeping the names (although most were now call signs) just helped us relate to them more as we knew who was what from the original.

[crashhelmet]

As others have pointed out, swaps aren't much of a big deal if they still fit the plot and base of the character. Reboots, like previously pointed BSG, work really well because they adapt the plot lines around them, while keeping the character in tact.

An example of a bad race swapping, IMO, was casting Wesley Snipes to play Webster Smith in Rising Sun. The character in the book was a White Supremist and it caused a lot of problems in the investigation. Then again, his name was Peter in the book, so maybe changing the name was their justification. It still ruined the dynamic between him and Connor though.

[Cymberleah]

Eh, I really don't see the issue. If the characters aren't having a sexual relationship then their gender really shouldn't be an issue. You can be a soft and cuddly male or a cold and ball-breaking woman, if that's what the character needs to be. You can still have power plays between men and women.

I'd have an issue with it more if the change was done because they wanted to add some gender issue. If they play the characters straight that's fine. If the female-swapped character suddenly has to be cuddlier and empathetic and "Oh, what we're doing to these children is SO WRONG" just because she's a girl and all girls are that way, well, then I'm going to have an issue.

But it's not going to be with the casting.

[fireheart17]

Funny people are mentioning sex changes. I was thinking of Sailor Moon, where there have been gender changes to some of the characters: two were done because of "homosexual relationships" in the original and the other was done for god knows what reason.

Those who only got as far as the first series may want to know that Zoycite/Zoisite was originally MALE in the Japanese series. Why did they change it? Because of the relationship with Kunzite/Malachite.

In the fourth series, we had the other two gender changes: one was male to female because he/she flirted with a number of male characters and also cross-dressed (and yet there's a scene where she's totally flat-chested!) while the other was female to male and there is absolutely no reason for it, especially given that further on in the series, the gender of said character is kind of important....

[Hyena Dandy]

Viola Davis said in an interview she hasn't read the book and doesn't intend too because Anderson in the book isn't the same character as what she's playing in the movie. I'm dubious on that opinion ( read the book dammit ) even if Anderson isn't the same kind of character in the movie.

It being a different person in the movie is a damn good reason, I think, not to read the book. When you read the book, you're coming into it with a notion of who it is.

If I was in a similar position, I'd either not read the book, or not read the book until after the film is finished. When you're acting, you're trying to make the character entirely yours. When you're reading, it's seeing the character from the outside. As an actor, you need to see the character from the inside to portray them.

[AdminAssistant]

I don't agree with that. I think Viola Davis is a brilliant actor - her scene in Doubt makes the whole movie - but she needs to read the book. That's basic character research.