'Sweet Tooth' bears its antlers in first trailer for Netflix adaptation of acclaimed Jeff Lemire comic

The success of The Umbrella Academy proved that Netflix could get really weird with its comic book adaptations and still come out on top. That weirdness continues with the streamer's first trailer for Sweet Tooth, a small screen translation of Jeff Lemire's hit DC/Vertigo comic book of the same name.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by — what else? — a novel virus, the show follows Gus (Beautiful Boy's Christian Convery), a young deer-boy who, after living the relative safety of a secluded forest for 10 years, befriends a wandering loner named Tommy Jepperd (Game of Thrones' Nonso Anozie).

Together, the two characters set off on an adventure across what's left of America in an effort to uncover answers about their pasts and the true meaning of home. But they must be careful as many survivors of the "Great Crumble" see the animal/human hybrids as the cause of the virus and hunt them down out of fear. It definitely feels like The Road meets The Island of Dr. Moreau meets Where The Wild Things Are. A rather rich combination that attracted executive producers Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan Downey.

Watch the trailer now:

Adeel Akhtar (Dr. Aditya Singh),Aliza Vellani (Rani Singh), Stefania LaVie Owen (Bear), Dania Ramirez (Aimee Eden), Neil Sandilands (General Abbot), Will Forte (Father), and James Brolin (Narrator) round out the principal cast. The project is co-showrun, executive-produced, and written by the duo of Beth Schwartz (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow) and Jim Mickle (In the Shadow of the Moon). In addition, Amanda Burrell and Linda Moran are EPs for Team Downey.

"We wanted to make a show that offers escape and adventure, where nature is reclaiming the world and in many ways it feels like a fairytale," Mickle, who also directed the debut season, said in a statement. "Sweet Tooth is a new kind of dystopian story, it’s very lush and hopeful. We want people to come into this world where there’s beauty and hope and adventure. This is a sweeping story — we ride on trains, climb mountaintops, run through forests. This is a show about what makes a family, what home really means, and why it’s important to keep faith in humanity."

“Sweet Tooth the series has been in the making since 2016, and the comics existed even well before that, but I think everyone is going to relate to the show and this story even more than we even thought when we first started working on it," added Schwartz. "When you watch Sweet Tooth, you feel hopeful about the future.”

Sweet Tooth gallops onto Netflix Friday, June 4. Its first season will consist of eight, one-hour episodes. Head to the gallery below for a collection of first look production stills...