When word came earlier this month that rising young star Hailee Steinfeld would be joining Asa Butterfield for the upcoming sci-fi film Ender’s Game, there were also rumours that none other than Harrison Ford was talks for a leading role.

It now looks like those rumours were well-informed, with Variety reporting that both Harrison Ford and Abigail Breslin are joining Butterfield and Steinfeld as leads in the film.

“Set in Earth’s utopian future, “Ender’s Game” stars Asa Butterfield (“Hugo”) as a genius strategist recruited by the government to help destroy an insect-like alien race.”

And with the additional casting news comes information on the roles that Ford, Breslin, and Steinfeld are taking:

“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.”

Sounds pretty awesome to me. Though I’m still yet to see Butterfield in anything, I’ve heard good things about his performances to date, and it’s not everyday you hear about strong performances from a child actor, so that’s a good sign in my books. Breslin was of course excellent in Little Miss Sunshine, and can currently be seen on the big screen in New Year’s Eve (which she was good in, though she and her friends were given far too much make-up to wear, if you ask me). Ford, whose best known roles include a healthy dose of sci-fi films, was last seen in Cowboys & Aliens for Jon Favreau, and he’ll naturally undoubtedly play a great mentor to the younger characters.

Gavin Hood, whose credits include X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Tsotsi, and Rendition, will be directing from his own screenplay, based on Orson Scott Card’s original novel (is it just me, or is his name awesome?), with production set to begin early next year in New Orleans, and a release date scheduled for 29th March, 2013. This is definitely one to keep your eye on, and you can be sure we’ll be keeping you updated as and when there’s more news to tell.