Robert Downey Jr. may be an icon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn't mean he's against playing a part in helping other comics organizations make a splash. In fact, RDJ and his wife Susan's company Team Downey just got some good news about a comic book superhero project they're involved in. Hulu has agreed to give the aforementioned project Sweet Tooth a pilot order, as the Iron Man actor is a driving force behind a DC Vertigo adaptation.
Sweet Tooth is planned to be a drama adapted from the DC Vertigo publication of the same name. The story, created by Jeff Lemire, is centered around a boy/deer hybrid named Gus, who embarks on an adventure with humans and other animal hybrids following a "cataclysmic" event. Deadline reported this coming-of-age adventure will ultimately unearth a vast conspiracy, which will cause Gus to question his hybrid existence.
Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey's production company Team Downey will produce the drama in association with Warner Bros. association. Sweet Tooth will be written and directed by Jim Mickle, who co-created and wrote for the Sundance TV series Hap and Leonard. Other executive producers for the project include fellow Hap and Leonard collaborator Linda Moran, and Amanda Burrell.
The pilot order from Hulu for Sweet Tooth is promising for Team Downey, although there's seemingly still a road to travel before a series order gets handed its direction. Hulu has other pilots in the mix it could approve ahead of it, although Sweet Tooth does have a potential advantage in being a comic book adaptation series. It's a genre Hulu's original programming is somewhat lacking in, with Marvel's Runaways being its sole offering.
Vertigo comics adaptations are not rare on television. Provided Sweet Tooth has a future on Hulu, it would join iZombie, Lucifer, Preacher, and Constantine as past stories from the outlet that made it to television. One of those four, of course, is no longer on the air, and it would've been two had Lucifer not been saved by Netflix. Even so, Vertigo's adapted television shows tend to draw a rather dedicated crowd of followers, which could be advantageous for Hulu.
Sweet Tooth is one of the latest attempts by Team Downey to break into television. Robert Downey Jr. made headlines two years prior with a project called Singularity, which was said to be the actor's directorial debut and would star Anthony Michael Hall. Few updates have surfaced on the project since, and its status is unknown. Team Downey is also developing a pilot called Constance at TNT and a series for HBO.
CinemaBlend will keep an eye on this project, and give any updates should Hulu decide to press onward with the development of Sweet Tooth. For a look at what's ahead in the world of television, be sure to visit and bookmark our fall and midseason premiere guides.
