'9' Director Tapped to Helm Adaptation of 'Beasts of Burden'

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Shane Acker

Shane Acker, who co-wrote and directed the 2009 animated film 9, has been tapped to helm Reel FX’s adaptation of the Dark Horse Comics Beasts of Burden.

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The untitled film is being written by Darren Lemke (Jack the Giant Killer). Aron Warner, Reel FX’s president of animation, is producing the film with Mike Richardson from Dark Horse Entertainment and Andrew Adamson and his Strange Weather shingle.

The Eisner Award-winning Burden, created by Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese) and Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), is set in Burden Hill, a community where a series of supernatural events occurs that causes a gang of dogs (and one cat) to team up in order to keep their owners and the town’s residents safe.

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Producer Reel FX is the company run by former Industrial Light & Magic senior executive Ed Jones and former Walden Media CEO Cary Granat. It specializes in CG as well as live-action hybrid projects.

Reel FX is hoping that Burden keeps the fire going on its already simmering animation slate.

The lineup includes the Day of the Dead-themed project, The Book of Life, which is being produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Jorge Gutierrez and is set for release Oct. 10, 2014, via Fox Animation.

That will followed by Turkeys, which sees Jimmy Hayward directing and Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson voice acting, which will hit theaters Nov. 14, 2014, from Relativity.

9 initially was a short made by Acker that caught the eye of Tim Burton and Timor Bekmambetov, who helped Acker turn it into a full-length feature that was released by Focus.