'The Toxic Avenger' Remake Wraps Filming
Grab your mops and get ready to head back to Tromaville, nerds, because The Toxic Avenger remake has wrapped filming. Director Macon Blair shared the news via his Twitter, so now it's just a matter of time before we get to see the new Toxie.
The Other Avenger
The Toxic Avenger is a contemporary reimagining of the 1984 low-budget cult classic from Troma Studios. It centers on Melvin, a down-on-his-luck janitor who is pushed into a vat of toxic waste. This turns him into the Toxic Avenger, a superhero (of sorts) with grotesque physical mutations. While we don't know if his name will be Melvin, we do know that Peter Dinklage will star as the new Toxie.
According to Deadline, the reboot will be "steeped in environmental themes and subverts the superhero genre in the vein of Deadpool. 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."
Leaning into the superhero subversion sounds like a great way to tackle Toxie. Blair showed off his dark comedy skills with his directorial debut, I Don't Feel At Home in This World Anymore, so his take should be fresh and smart. In addition to Dinklage, The Toxic Avenger will star Elijah Wood, Julia Davis, Jacob Tremblay, and Kevin Bacon. Though exact roles haven't been shared, we do know Bacon is set to play the film's villain. Troma's Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz will serve as producers.
That's a wrap. Blagodarya, Bulgaria. #TheToxicAvenger pic.twitter.com/0RUW10C8Ib
— MaconBlairAlso (@AlsoBlair) August 13, 2021
Contemporizing a Cult Classic
The original The Toxic Avenger is a true cult classic. It's vulgar, violent, and exceedingly trashy. It went on to spawn three sequels, a stage musical production, children's cartoon TV series, and a Marvel comic. Fans of the franchise are ferocious, but thankfully Blair is a fan himself. In an interview with Dread Central, Kaufman explained why he felt reassured by the director's vision:
"Macon Blair knows Troma better than I do. 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."
Terror Firmer, by the way, was based on a book co-written by Troma alum James Gunn. If the universe is kind, maybe one day we'll get a Gunn and Blair team up for Terror Firmer 2022 or something. Now that's a team-up to rival those world-saving spandex-wearers.