It isn't surprising that Tim Burton's next filmmaking project involves peculiar children.

That the morbid director of Beetlejuice, Batman and the upcoming Big Eyes will film a portion of the movie around sunny Tampa Bay? Nobody saw that happening again.

Burton will return 25 years after filming Edward Scissorhands in Pasco County in 1990. He will spend an undetermined amount of time here in 2015, filming scenes for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, based on the popular young adult novel by Ransom Riggs.

Eva Green, who co-starred in Burton's 2012 Dark Shadows remake, is cast in the title role, alongside Asa Butterfield (Martin Scorsese's Hugo).

St. Pete/Clearwater Film Commission head Tony Armer broke the news Wednesday.

"They are, like, 99 percent confirmed … but chances are extremely good that they'll be shooting here in the spring," Armer said in a telephone interview.

"It'll be shooting primarily in London, but parts do take place in Florida. … The crew will be here longer than the actual production."

News of Burton's return to Tampa Bay comes on the heels of Tampa landing a few weeks of production on The Infiltrator. That true-life crime story is based on the memoirs of former undercover agent Robert Mazur, who'll be played by Emmy winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad).

That production was approved this week by the Hillsborough County Commission to receive up to $250,000 to defray production costs because Florida's tax incentives program is broke. Dolphin Tale 2 received $5 million from alternate state coffers to enhance the chance of production occurring here.

Armer said Burton's movie isn't receiving any Florida funding at all. That's rare when Georgia, North Carolina and Louisiana are buzzing with productions lured by financial incentives.

"Because he's Tim Burton, he can almost do whatever he wants," Armer said. "He has a little more sway, I guess you'd say, than your average filmmaker."

Armer said Burton isn't as interested in coastline locales as recent signature productions like Spring Breakers and Dolphin Tale feature.

"It'll be not necessarily super beachy," Armer said, "but an old Florida home type of look. They'll be shooting in some neighborhoods in Pinellas County, and also in Tampa, as well."

Armer said a definitive time for Burton's production to arrive is still being determined. Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children is being produced at an undisclosed budget for Twentieth Century Fox by Peter Chernin (the Planet of the Apes series, Exodus: Gods and Kings).

Riggs' novel, which reached the New York Times bestseller list, is built on a unique collection of vintage photographs.

Butterfield plays Jacob Portman, a teenager traveling back in time to an orphanage for supernaturally gifted children where his grandfather was raised. Miss Peregrine (Green) is their guardian against the sort of creature effects in which Burton enjoys dabbling.

"We're excited to have a filmmaker of Tim's caliber coming to town," Armer said. "When we met briefly on a locations scout (trip), he had nothing but wonderful things to say about this area and Florida in general."

Contact Steve Persall at spersall@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8365. Follow @StevePersall.