The first trailer for the upcoming Netflix fantasy series Sweet Tooth has dropped, and it promises to be the latest unusual adaptation from the streaming giant. Sweet Tooth is adapted from the DC/Vertigo comic of the same name. The series was created by Jim Mickle and executive produced by Susan Downey & Robert Downey Jr.
Sweet Tooth is an adaptation of Jeff Lemire's post-apocalyptic fantasy comic book series, which has been described as "Mad Max meets Bambi." The 40-issue comic ran from 2009-2013 and told the story of Gus, a young half-boy half-deer hybrid who ventures to a post-apocalyptic Nebraska with his religious father. After his father dies from an illness Gus, is adopted by a mysterious and dangerous drifter named Jepperd.
In the Sweet Tooth trailer, we hear James Brolin narrate a brief summary of this post-apocalyptic world. We see little Gus being born in a hospital along with other hybrids as the unnamed narrator talks about how no one knows who came first: the hybrids, or the virus. The narrator alludes to the mystery of this question as we are introduced to a now 12-year-old Gus (Christian Convery), who is known as "Sweet Tooth." It's implied that he's being hunted by some very bad people as his father (Will Forte) comforts him, telling him that some people just don't like him because he's different. His father encourages him to be brave while we see Nonso Anozie as the drifter Jepperd loading his rifle and fighting off attackers. The trailer ends with little Gus holding a slingshot and then fades to him ominously wandering a wooded trail before the title is revealed.
Sweet Tooth is just the latest in a trend of unique Netflix adaptations. While comic book movies and TV shows are popular right now, we're starting to see streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Video produce more unorthodox and lesser-known stories. A good example of this would be Amazon's Invincible, an adaption of Robert Kirkman's adult superhero comic, which is full of twists and turns. Netflix has also seen continued success in the fantasy genre with shows such as The Witcher and, more recently, Shadow and Bone, a young adult fantasy series based on the popular novel by Leigh Bardugo. Netflix seems to be willing to produce these expensive and risky projects, and it will be interesting to see if they continue down this path.
Curiously, the Sweet Tooth adaptation was described as family-friendly when the project was announced last year. Time will tell if the series is more in line with The Witcher and Shadow and Bone, or if Sweet Tooth will be more suitable for all ages.
Sweet Tooth premieres on June 4, 2021, only on Netflix.
Source: Netflix | YouTube