Dania Ramirez Cast In Netflix’s Sweet Tooth

Netflix is assembling the rest of the cast for their television adaptation of Sweet Tooth as they prepare to start production, adding Tell Me a Story and Devious Maids actress Dania Ramirez to the cast. The former X-Men: The Last Stand star will appear as “Aimee” in the comic adaptation, described as “a pioneer in the middle of dystopic America, a lone scavenger in an abandoned city, rebuilding a sustainable habitat and giving orphaned hybrids a home. Deadline brings word of Ramirez’s casting but also a glimmer of hope for when production can begin on the show’s first season, already ordered by the streamer.

According to the trade, there are reportedly plans in place for the cast of the series to fly to New Zealand sometime in August for a two week quarantine period ahead of a start date in the first week of September. Netflix apparently wouldn’t confirm the accuracy of this report but this news does line up with previous productions that have set up shop in the country, including James Cameron’s Avatar sequels.

Also hidden in today’s news is confirmation of the other characters that the previously confirmed cast members will be playing in the series. It was previously announced that Christian Convery (Beautiful Boy, Tiger Rising) will lead the series as Gus, the titular half-boy/half-deer nicknamed Sweet Tooth; while today’s news brings word that Nonso Anozie (Artemis Fowl, Game of Thrones) will play Tommy Jepperd, the former hockey player that becomes Gus’ guardian, while Adeel Akhtar (Victoria & Abdul, The Big Sick) will play Dr. Singh. Unconfirmed but the trade notes that Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth, Saturday Night Live) will take on the role of Gus’ father. James Brolin will provide the voice of the narrator, which fans of the series and how it ends can perhaps piece together who that is.

Sweet Tooth is based on Jeff Lemire‘s Vertigo Comics series of the same name, which ran from 2009 to 2013. The series will center on the coming-of-age fable of Gus, who leaves home to find the world ravaged by a cataclysmic event. Gus joins forces with a family of hybrids and humans to find answers behind the apocalypse, only to discover a vast conspiracy that forces him to question his very existence.

“I can say that I was on set for the filming of the pilot in New Zealand last year,” Lemire said earlier this month in his newsletter. “Which was an incredible experience, and the pilot came out amazingly well. I couldn’t be more pleased with the adaptation. It’s super faithful to the comic and I can’t wait for the show to launch.”

Hap and Leonard alum Jim Mickle and Arrow‘s Beth Schwartz will co-showrun the series which will be executive produced by Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan Downey, plus Amanda Burrell and Linda Moran. The series will be produced by Team Downey in association with Warner Bros. Television. Others set to appear in the cast include Nonso Anozie (Artemis Fowl, Game of Thrones) and Adeel Akhtar (Victoria & Abdul, The Big Sick).