Shark Teeth Films has acquired the rights to Sarah Gailey’s novella River of Teeth.

The Toronto-based prodco known for projects like Vegas Cakes (Food Network and Food Network Canada) and Deep Sea Mysteries (Travel Channel) plans to adapt the western-adventure into a TV series.

River of Teeth takes place in a fictional time when cowboys and mercenaries ride hippopotamuses instead of horses and follows Winslow Houndstooth on a mission with his crew. The book was published by New York-based Tom Doherty Associates and was a finalist for the 2017 Nebula Award for best novella, which celebrates members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

According to Shark Teeth co-founder and exec producer Adrian Carter, the prodco came across the book after reading a news article about a concentrated effort to farm hippos in Louisiana in the 19th century.

“We found Sarah Gailey’s books and they are even better than reality,” said Carter. The follow-up to River of Teeth, Taste of Marrow was published in 2017. 

Shark Teeth is currently working with its agent at L.A.-based APA to find a writer to adapt the project for TV.