Few books were as important to my larval self as Orson Scott Card's 1985 sci-fi novel Ender's Game, about a young boy who's trained as a military leader after mankind's devastating run-ins with a species of insect-like aliens known as "Buggers." It's been a while since I read it—I plan on doing so again soon—but I remember it being incredibly touching and incredibly smart, and reflecting what it's actually like to be a kid far, far better than most things that try to reflect what it's like to be a kid. Plus, anti-gravity rooms and scary military dudes and spaceships and aliens and stuff! Ender's Game!

I have a hard time feeling as passionate about Ender's Game now, though, thanks to the fact that Card, in the years since the book's publication, has come out as a creepily rabid homophobe. Controversy surrounded the most recent project he was attached to (a Superman comic—see that last link for details), and I wouldn't be surprised if the upcoming Ender's Game movie also gets hit with some blowback over Card's current despicableness. Which is—I don't know. Because this trailer for Ender's Game looks fucking awesome.

Card is a producer on the film, and I don't doubt he'll get a big chunk of change if Ender's Game does well—which kind of makes me want to be like, "Shit, I'll just reread Ender's Game again, I don't need to give that dude any more money." On the other hand, a whole lot of other people—really talented people, people who I'm guessing haven't turned into simpering, hateful bigots—also worked on the film, and it looks like they've done a hell of a job. And ever since I was a teenager, when I saw Card do a reading in Salt Lake City—my first book reading, actually, and one where I got my copy of Ender's Game signed—there's been talk of an Ender's Game movie, and I've wanted to see an Ender's Game movie. So.

Here we are, back at the whole "Should what you know about an artist's personal life affect your opinion of that artist's work?" debate. And the whole "Should you give money to a thing if you disagree with the politics of those behind that thing?" debate. And probably a few other debates, too. Plenty of time to think things over, though; Ender's Game, which Summit Entertainment is hoping will be their next Hunger Games-style franchise, won't come out until November.