Comic book aficionado and screenwriter David S. Goyer has sold Warner Bros. the rights to his upcoming literary debut, Heaven's Shadow, the first in a new sci-fi trilogy.

Goyer will adapt and produce Heaven's Shadow through his production company, Phantom Four banner.  The novel is set to be published in July 2011, while its two followups - Heaven's War and Heaven's Fall - are scheduled to arrive in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

The Heaven's trilogy revolves around a mysterious object in outer space on a set trajectory to impact Earth.  Governments around the world compete to have their astronauts be the first to intercept the unknown entity - an encounter that reveals the presence of extraterrestrials who threaten the existence of humanity.

Heaven's Shadow will be just one of several projects that Goyer will have a hand in writing over the next few years.  He is also collaborating with Christopher and Jonathan Nolan on the screen story for both Batman 3 and the upcoming Superman reboot, Man of Steel.

Goyer's non-Batman screenwriting efforts have in general been pretty solid and include the scripts for the first two Blade movies, as well as the dystopian sci-fi pic Dark City.  The same cannot be said for his previous writing/directing projects, such as the forgettable horror/thriller The Unborn and Blade 3 (see below).

The basic premise for Heaven's Shadow is mildly intriguing, though it will have to distinguish itself from other, alien-related sci-fi projects like Skyline and Battle: Los Angeles - both of which are already battling for the big-screen.  Goyer's story may not actually deal with an invasion by non-Earthlings so that could work in Heaven's Shadow's favor.

Warner Bros. also acquired the rights to the second and third entries in the Heaven's trilogy in their deal with Goyer - however, that does not guarantee they too will make the jump to the big screen.  The success or failure of the not-yet-published source material will surely play an important role in determining if any sequel films get made.

Keep an eye out for the first novel in Goyer's trilogy, Heaven's Shadow,  in bookstores next July.

Source: Deadline