King crowns Butterfield

ButterfieldGK Films is betting large on youth -- particularly 14-year-old "Hugo" star Asa Butterfield. The banner, which created "Hugo," has signed Butterfield for an overall two-year deal to build up projects where the Brit thesp would star.Butterfield built rapport with producer Graham King throughout "Hugo," which won the NationalBoard of Review and is probably the leading award season challengers.Butterfield received notice for toplining 2008's "The Boy within the Candy striped Pajamas" opposite Vera Farmiga and David Thewlis. Other feature credits include "Boy of Rambow," "The Wolfman" and "Nanny McPhee and also the Large Bang" while his TV credits incorporate a recurring role around the BBC series, "Merlin."Butterfield closed an offer in November to star because the title character in "Ender's Game," Odd Lot Entertainment's adaptation of Orson Scott Card's 1985 sci-fi novel. Gavin Hood ("X-Males Roots: Wolverine") is pointing the pic, which Summit has looking for a March 15, 2013 release.GK Films is developing an adaptation of "Jersey Boys," the untitled Freddie Mercury story, an authentic script by Robert Towne of "The Fight of Britain" and "Little Whitened Corvettes" with Emma Stone set to star. Butterfield is repped by CAA and Independent within the United kingdom. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com