Though Robert Downey Jr.’s run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may or may not be meeting its end with next year’s Avengers 4, it seems that the actor already has plans for another comic book adaptation, with Deadline reporting that Robert and Susan Downey’s Team Downey production company is pushing forward with the pilot for Sweet Tooth.
Based on the DC Vertigo comic book of the same name, the first episode of Sweet Tooth comes courtesy of Hulu, with a full series possibly to follow. For those unfamiliar with this “Mad Max meets Bambi” property, the comic tells the story of a boy/deer hybrid named Gus, whose journey through a post-apocalyptic world leads him to discover a vast conspiracy that causes him to question the nature of his own existence.
Created by Jeff Lemire, this premise at least sounds loopy enough to draw in a few curious viewers for its pilot. And with Marvel’s Runaways currently being the only comic book show in the Hulu line-up, perhaps there’s a slot open for a full series, putting Sweet Tooth amidst the likes of Constantine, iZombie, Lucifer, and Preacher as Vertigo creations that have made the jump to the small screen.
The show will be adapted by Jim Mickle, who previously co-created and wrote the SundanceTV series Hap and Leonard and directed the acclaimed 2014 crime thriller Cold in July. On executive producer duties are the two Downeys alongside Amanda Burrell and Mickle’s old Hap and Leonard collaborator Linda Moran.
Team Downey’s first major offering was the 2014 legal drama The Judge, and the company look to have a few more movie projects lined up, including the 2020 fantasy comedy The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, which is set to star Robert Downey Jr. in the title role. As it stands, the company has yet to break into television, but if handled right, then Sweet Tooth sounds like it could be just crazy enough to work.
