After a long wait, we finally have some brand-new content from the folks at Legendary detailing their surprising remake of the 1984 Troma Entertainment classic The Toxic Avenger.
Production wrapped on the project two years ago in Bulgaria, and we’ve heard precious little since. Now, not only has a plot synopsis been released, but we’ve also been treated to a first-look image and poster ahead of the film’s September premiere at Texas’ FantasticFest.
The movie, starring a surprising ensemble cast consisting of Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Julia Davis, Elijah Wood, and Jacob Tremblay, is described as follows:
“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.”
You may be thinking this sounds quite different from the campy 1984 original, and you’d be right. Troma has clarified that although paying homage to the original, director Macon Blair wanted to tell a timelier story, whilst keeping the Troma staples of outrageous gore, nudity and a generous helping of cheese.
“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. 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.”
That’s right, folks! Although The Toxic Avenger remake was initially touted as “going family friendly PG-13,” all involved want us to know this has changed drastically. The film is a hard R and we can expect plenty of gross-out moments ahead.
The Toxic Avenger is set to premiere September 21st at FantasticFest, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for those first reactions. A trailer with an attached release date is expected soon after, so stay tuned for that!
