Robert Downey Jr. is teaming up with Netflix to bring audiences an adaptation of the comic book series Sweet Tooth. Downey Jr. was last seen in Dolittle, his first post MCU role, which was a box office bomb, only grossing $77 million domestically against a massive budget of $175 million. The actor was also recently seen in Avengers: Endgame, where he made what could be his final appearance as Iron Man. The beloved comic book character made the ultimate sacrifice in order to stop the sinister villain Thanos once and for all.
Sweet Tooth is based on a DC Vertigo comic book series from Jeff Lemire, which ran for 40 issues from 2009-2013. The story follows the adventures of Gus, part deer and part boy, who leaves his cozy forest home to discover the outside world has been destroyed by a cataclysmic event. He decides to join a group of misfits, consisting of humans and fellow animal-children hybrids, in order to find answers about this new world and his own origins. The story has been described by some to be a combination of Mad Max and Bambi.
Netflix has announced that they are teaming up with Robert Downey Jr. to adapt the comic book series Sweet Tooth. The streaming platform has ordered eight, one-hour episodes and will be developed by showrunners Jim Mickle (Hap And Leonard) and Beth Schwartz (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow). The show will star Christian Convery (Beautiful Boy), Nonso Anozie (Game of Thrones), Adeel Akhtar (The Big Sick), Will Forte, and James Brolin, as the voice of the narrator. Team Downey will be serving as executive producers, including Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Amanda Burrell, and Linda Moran. Downey Jr. was set to produce the series at Hulu in 2018, but the project ultimately fell through.
After Avengers: Endgame, fans wondered where Downey Jr.’s career would take him next, especially considering he has only done five non-Marvel movies in the past decade. Though Dolittle was highly maligned and poorly received from fans and critics alike, the actor still has a number of projects in the pipeline. He is serving as a producer on HBO’s upcoming Perry Mason reboot series, which recently debuted its first trailer, and was also an executive producer on The Age of A.I., a YouTube documentary series he also hosted. Downey Jr. will also be starring in the highly anticipated Sherlock Holmes 3, the long-delayed sequel set to hit theaters in December 2021. He is also rumored to be making an appearance in Marvel’s upcoming Black Widow, though Downey Jr. really won’t say if Iron Man cameos in the film.
Downey Jr. has been ingrained into the MCU for so long, it’s easy to forget about his impressive filmography before stepping into the shoes of Tony Stark. The actor has a wonderful versatility, shifting from genre to genre, showcasing his sharp comedic and dramatic skills effortlessly. However, it’s been fascinating to see him step more into the role of a producer, expanding his portfolio in new and exciting ways. This comic book project for Netflix sounds intriguing to say the least, and it’s nice to see the actor still dipping his toes into the comic book pool. It will be interesting to see what Downey Jr. and his creative team have in store for viewers when Sweet Tooth hits Netflix.
