A massive influx of Ender’s Game casting news has come from Variety, who confirm the involvement of the previously-rumored Harrison Ford and Hailee Steinfeld. Meanwhile, Abigail Breslin, Aramis Knight, Moises Arias, Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak, Suraj Parthasarathy, Conor Carroll, and Khylin Rhambo are all also on board.

Ford will play Colonel Hyrum Graff, who’s in charge of training Asa Butterfield‘s Ender, a young boy that ends up being humanity’s last hope in a war with an alien species; Steinfeld has the role of Petra Arkanian, “Ender’s ally and trusted right hand.” Stick with me for a second here. Breslin will play “Valentine Wiggin, Ender’s older sister”; Knight is “Bean, the smallest new recruit”; we’ll see Arias as “Bonzo, the commander of Salamander Army”; Pinchak is making a turn in the part of “Peter Wiggin, Ender’s brilliant but tortured older brother”; Parthasarathy‘s character is “Alai, the first recruit to befriend Ender”; Carroll is mixing it up as “Bernard, the leader of the new recruits who bullies Ender at first”; and, finally, Rhambo has secured the role of “Dink, a brainy member of Rat Army.”

A lot to process at once, so let’s just focus on the big names. First off, by joining a possibly intelligent, big-budget sci-fi production in a supporting role, Ford‘s taking one of his biggest risks in years — and I’m happy to see him do so. Much like Butterfield, Steinfeld is a big boost of confidence; all too rarely do we see talented young actors lending their skills to a tentpole release, regardless of how much it deserves them. I’d argue the same goes for Breslin, too. (Brendan Meyer, you’re on notice.) Add in a little Ben Kingsley for good measure, and Gavin Hood adapting Orson Scott Card suddenly doesn’t feel like such a bad proposition.

Ender’s Game will open on March 15th, 2013.

What does this casting do to your hopes for Ender’s Game?