The first official proper look at Toxie in The Toxic Avenger has been revealed. Images from the upcoming film were shared by Entertainment Weekly; while they don’t reveal much in the way of story details, the photos illustrate the impressive makeup and prosthetic work to create the character. Peter Dinklage portrays Winston Gooze, but “actor and movement artist” Luisa Guerreiro is the one “providing the physical performance of Toxie.” One image depicts Toxie standing in what appears to be an alleyway, staring at something off-camera. The other sees Toxie at what could be a fair or festival (note the crowd in the background) ready for battle as he clutches his signature weapon: a janitor’s mop. Director Macon Blair explained to the outlet how the filmmakers came up with Toxie’s look.
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“The goal was to try to stay true to the vibe of [1984’s The Toxic Avenger co-director Lloyd Kaufman’s] original Jennifer Aspinall/Mitch Cohen creature, with some influence from the Toxic Crusaders cartoon’s look, while also trying to do something new and weird and lovable with Toxie’s design,” Blair said. “I love what Millenium FX did with it — part human, part mutant, all heart.”
The Toxic Avenger has endured a long and winding road to the big screen. Principal photography took place during 2021, though the film didn’t screen until 2023 at various film festivals. The Toxic Avenger earned positive reviews, but it had trouble securing distribution. It wasn’t until earlier this year that Cineverse acquired the rights; an August premiere was announced shortly after.
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Though it’s taken this long for The Toxic Avenger to receive a release date, fans have gotten looks at the film in years past. An earlier image gallery highlighted the movie’s star-studded cast, showcasing Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon, Taylour Paige, and Jacob Tremblay. There’s also a red-band trailer online, giving viewers a small taste of the film’s tone and gory violence.
Whereas those earlier looks at The Toxic Avenger obscured Toxie’s full look, these images showcase the unlikely hero in all his glory. The release of the photos indicate that Cineverse could be on the verge of kicking off a proper Toxic Avenger marketing campaign. It wouldn’t be surprising if in the near future there was an official trailer showing Toxie in action. While the original Toxic Avenger spawned a franchise that included movie sequels, comic books, and video games, the property is arguably more niche and isn’t as recognizable among casual audiences. Though there are a handful of months until Blair’s film hits theaters, Cineverse may want to take some extra time to try to sell established fans and newcomers alike on what should be a very different type of superhero movie.
It will be interesting to see how The Toxic Avenger performs when it’s finally released. The film likely won’t be for everyone, but word of mouth was positive after those festival screenings, and premiering the title over Labor Day weekend could help it emerge as a sleeper hit. The Toxic Avenger won’t be facing much competition at the box office during that window. While no one is expecting it to break any records, perhaps this version will be successful enough to warrant its own follow-ups.
