This week saw the first official look at the upcoming reboot of the 1984 cult classic The Toxic Avenger, while today sees the reveal of the film’s poster and the first plot details. With the creative team behind the project being devout genre fans, it doesn’t seem like there will be many drastic changes to the source material, though the synopsis does confirm this serves more as a “reimagining” than as a straightforward reboot, which includes Peter Dinklage’s character not being the same hero from the source material. Still, Troma confirms that the new project wholeheartedly honors the spirit of what made the original movie so memorable. The Toxic Avenger is set to make its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, which kicks off on September 21st.
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Troma shares of the film, per Bloody Disgusting, “While the original film (which premiered in 1984 — almost 40 years ago!) followed the fate of Melvin Ferd Junko III (Mitch Cohen), who goes from zero to toxic hero in a case of bullying gone awry, Macon Blair’s contemporary take follows a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength all his own. Peter Dinklage stars as downtrodden janitor Winston Gooze who, after falling into a vat of toxic waste, becomes none other than The Toxic Avenger. This timely reimagining is up to its eyeballs in environmental themes as Winston goes up against the evil forces of greed and corruption to save his son, his friends, and his community.”
The synopsis adds, “Even as this story exists on its own terms, the spirit undoubtedly remains connected to the original. Troma fans old and new will be pleased to know that the film has been rated R for violence and gore — as per Troma tradition.”
The film’s rating was confirmed back in 2022, as the MPA certified its R for “strong violence and gore, language throughout, sexual references, and brief graphic nudity.”
Starring in the film alongside Dinklage are Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon.
While the indie genre space has been known to be a breeding ground for ambitious filmmakers, such as Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn directing his first films for the studio, this new Toxic Avenger sees established talent returning to their humble roots.
“I just wanted to do something that I’ve never done before,” Dinklage shared with Empire Magazine back in 2021 of what drew him to the project. “So why not be a monster in an over-the-top, crazy movie, and why not sing in another one?”
He added, “It’s not a remake. I just like guerrilla filmmaking. Those movies – they just made them, no matter what. They just did it because they love doing it. Some of them are not the best, but some are so much fun. When you make movies too clean, it can distance the audience. They want to feel the dirt under their fingernails. I think those Troma films definitely dipped the audience in toxic waste.”
Stay tuned for details on the release of The Toxic Avenger.
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