August to pen Preacher adaptation and Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie

Writer John August has scored two high profile projects, that will see him working with directors Tim Burton and Sam Mendes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s been contracted to write the comic book adaptation of Preacher for Mendes, and then the comedic horror Frankenweenie for Burton.

Frankenweenie is based on a short film Burton made in 1984, while still a film school student. The story follows a man who brings his dog back to life after it’s run over by a car. While the original short was live-action, the feature will be created using stop-motion animation and 3D. Like the original, Frankenweenie is to be shot in black & white. Many of the animation artists and crew from Burton’s Corpse Bride will be involved the new film, which is aiming for a 2011 release.

The thriller Preacher is based on the 1990s Vertigo comic series created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. It tells the story of a Texas preacher, who is given immense powers, and teams up with a former girlfriend and a hard-drinking vampire, then journeys across America to find God, who apparently had abandoned his duties in heaven.