'Toxic Avenger' Reboot Starring Peter Dinklage Adds Jacob Tremblay To Cast
The Toxic Avenger reboot has added another cast member: Jacob Tremblay. The young Room and Doctor Sleep actor joins a cast being led by Peter Dinklage, with Macon Blair (Blue Ruin) set to helm. The Toxic Avenger is based on the low-budget cult classic from Troma Entertainment, about a weakling janitor who falls into a drum of toxic waste and transforms into a mutated superhero.
Deadline is reporting the news that The Toxic Avenger reboot cast will now include Jacob Tremblay. There's no word on who Tremblay is playing just yet, but he joins Peter Dinklage, who is playing the title character. Macon Blair, who co-wrote and starred in Blue Ruin, is directing the pic, which is based on the 1984 cult classic of the same name.
This version of The Toxic Avenger will be a much more well-budgeted affair than any other film in the series, all of which have been ultra-low-budget Z-grade movies known for their cheapness. In the original film, "A 98-pound nerd from New Jersey lands in a vat of toxic waste and becomes a benevolent monster." It's not exactly what I'd call a good movie, but it's earned its place in the cult canon. The original also spawned an entire franchise – the films The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, as well as the animated The Toxic Crusaders, which also inspired a video game, and an Off-Broadway musical.
In the new take on the story, "When a struggling everyman is pushed into a vat of toxic waste, he is transformed into a mutant freak who must go from shunned outcast to underdog hero as he races to save his son, his friends and his community from the forces of corruption and greed." Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, who co-directed the original movie, are producing the reboot.
"Macon Blair knows Troma better than I do," Kaufman previously said. "He's seen everything. He's seen the cartoon, he's seen the Halloween special, he's seen everything. And he loves our movies like Troma's War and Terror Firmer. I've read the script and it's better than the original and I leave it to him. If I'm called upon, I'd be happy to jump in. I learned on the musical to leave the creative to the creative. I learned to let them ask so if they want me, I'm there."