A New Animated Project to Chew On

Tony Chu in Chew #1 (Image Comics)

In 2009, a truly different comic book entered the scene, published by Image Comics. Written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory, Chew tells the tale of Tony Chu- a cibopath- a person with the ability to see the past-depending on what he ate. Tony works for the American Food and Drug Administration in their ongoing war to rid the world of poultry meat. More FBI than FDA, Chew is a zany comedy with surprising links to the human condition. The series won two Eisner Awards (Best New Series; Best Continuing Series) and two Harvey Awards (Best New Series; Best New Talent) and multiple collected editions have appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

The series had a deal in 2011 to film a live-action pilot for Showtime but the series did not get picked up. Now, through Heavy Metal Entertainment, the ongoing comic series will have an animated adaption. Representing Heavy Metal is David Boxenbaum and Jeff Krelitz(Torchwood: Web of Lies; Peter Panzerfaust). Rob Guillory and John Layman are executive producers, with Layman the project’s scriptwriter. BBC exec Dan Tischler is also attached to the product. The animated project(not yet clarified as a movie or series) is projected for digital broadcast(perhaps through Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu) and DVD/Bluray release.

The Walking Dead’s Steven Yuen (Glen) will voice Tony Chu and Felicia Day, creator of The Guild webisodes, his love interest: Amelia Mintz. Amelia is a Saboscrivner with the ability to convey tastes (good or bad) in her articles about cuisine. Other characters in the comic include Tony’s astronaut twin sister (who can see the future when she eats food (Cibovoyant)), his crooked chef brother, angsty teenage daughter, and chicken craving FDA partner. These characters should all follow the same adequate casting. The comic series is illustrated in a cartoony and the food powers are so creative and crazy that Chew is made for animation.

Amelia Mintz in Chew # 39 (Image Comics)

Check out collected editions of Chew at your local library or download Chew #1 for free at ComiXology.

(via Multiversity and The Hollywood Reporter)