Special effects pioneer and Lucasfilm refugee John Dykstra is no stranger to superheroes, having designed and supervised FX for Batman and Spider-Man movies, Hancock and, most recently, X-Men: First Class. In a 40-year career he's never directed a film of his own, but that's about to change with Dykstra's belated debut taking the form of Super Zero, based on the Tales From the Farm graphic novel by Jeff Lemire.

The book (the first of a trilogy by Lemire) involves orphaned ten-year-old Lester, shipped off to his uncle's farm in Ontario, and taking refuge in an imaginary world where he's a masked and caped hero protecting Essex County from alien invasion. His uncle tolerates him, but it's a local retired hockey star turned gas station attendant that indulges his fantasies in an attempt to bring him back down to Earth.

"I’ve been so involved in films that are primarily based on the action sequences and over-the-top visuals that this to me was incredibly attractive just based on the depth of the characters and the evocative nature of the story," Dykstra explained to Variety.

The director and his producers Steven Gilder and Alex Chorches envisage the film as live-action with "extensive VFX sequences", presumably divided between the real-world of the farm and Lester's fantasy life. There's no financial or studio package set up as yet, but all involved plan to drum up interest by making "a big splash at ComicCon" next month.