A Legendary Comic Long Deemed Unadaptable Is Finally Becoming a TV Series

Indie comics don’t always get the spotlight when Marvel and DC are eating the world, but every so often one cuts through. Think Invincible and The Boys on Prime Video. Now another fan favorite is making a move: Chew is headed for live-action TV with Blumhouse/Atomic Monster. The reveal came from artist and co-creator Rob Guillory himself… and then he deleted it. So, yeah, this one’s real but still hush-hush.

So what actually happened?

Guillory briefly posted on social media that Chew is actively in development for live-action TV at Blumhouse Productions/Atomic Monster. He said the deal is signed and he’s working with them. Then the post vanished, which sure makes it look like the studio would prefer to keep this simmering quietly while they figure it out.

"It’s been kind of a secret, but the paperwork is done, so might as well start telling people. The Blumhouse/Atomic Monster folks are fantastic, so we’re excited to be working with them."

He also added that he isn’t allowed to share anything else right now. No network/streamer, no casting, no timeline. Just: it exists, and Blumhouse/Atomic Monster is on it.

What is Chew?

If you’ve never read it, Chew follows Tony Chu, an investigator who’s a cibopath — he gets psychic flashes from whatever he eats. Yes, whatever. His first big case? He has chicken soup, learns the chef is a murderer from the taste, and then (brace yourself) eats a piece of the chef’s tongue to ID the victims. That delightful career move gets him fired from the Philadelphia PD and hired by the FDA, which in this world is basically the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet. The series leans hard into food-based powers — everyone’s abilities manifest differently — and it mixes crime drama, sci-fi weirdness, and slapstick in a way that really shouldn’t work, but absolutely does. It’s tailor-made for a streaming binge.

The quick history (and the almost-adaptation )

• Creators: writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory launched Chew at Image Comics in 2009.
• Run: 60 issues total, wrapped in 2016, collected across 12 trade paperbacks.
• Awards: two Eisner Awards and two Harvey Awards during its run.
• The one that got away: an animated version was cooking in 2014 with Steven Yeun, Felicia Day, and Robin Williams. After Williams passed, David Tennant stepped in — but the project never made it to screen and was still stalled by 2017.
• Context check: indie comics on TV are having a moment — beyond Invincible and The Boys on Prime Video, there’s also been The Umbrella Academy and Locke & Key, plus old-school staples like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Spawn. And more Image titles are inbound, with James Tynion IV’s WorldTr33 headed to Netflix and Matt Fraction’s Sex Criminals set for Prime Video.

Where this leaves us

Chew is officially in development at Blumhouse/Atomic Monster, with Guillory involved, and that’s the headline. Everything else is TBD. The deleted post suggests the team wants a low profile while they build it — which is often a good sign this early. If they keep the book’s mix of gore, gallows humor, and heart, this could land squarely in the sweet spot that’s been very good to offbeat comic adaptations lately.