One of the cooler rumors I've heard in my time here at AITH is that Kevin Smith was at one point in talks to helm a remake of Troma's THE TOXIC AVENGER. Obviously, that never came to pass but today there is talk from the head of Troma himself about the current state of the remake.
Not only that but Troma Entertainment chief Lloyd Kaufman assures us that a fifth entry in the series, which has been dormant for far too long following 2000's CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER 4, is coming soon as well.
Troma Entertainment chief Lloyd Kaufman on TOXIC AVENGER 5:
It is definitely coming. The problem is that we need to get our new Troma movie, Shakespeare’s Shitstorm, which is our version of The Tempest, out into the cinemas and on DVD so that we can get some money together for it.
He continues:
This is a very ambitious Toxic Avenger movie. The script is complete and it will focus on Toxie’s two children who, 20 years after part four, have all grown up. And one has mutated into a very strange being [laughs].
When SFX magazine pressed Kaufman for more details he said, "fans can expect more low-budget action with the usual Troma mix of girls, guts and gruesome gore."
Lloyd Kaufman:
Toxie is going to go to Chernobyl in this one. It will cost just $100,000 – but I think it is the best one yet. I have worked with [Guardians Of The Galaxy director] James Gunn and the script we have for The Toxic Avenger 5 is the finest I have read. It shows Toxie fighting the bureaucrats and the obnoxious rich people who are harming the people of Tromaville.
Kaufman on the remake:
Conrad Vernon, who directed Shrek 2 and Sausage Party is attached. I have spoken to him and he knows all the Troma movies and is a big fan. I think he really understands The Toxic Avenger and I believe he will bring a cartoon sensibility to it. This is his first live-action movie and we hope it gets rolling soon.
To recap, that means that not only is there a TOXIC AVENGER remake in the works with Conrad Vernon at the helm, but there is also a TOXIC AVENGER 5 headed our way armed with a script (at least partially) written by James Gunn. Wow, that's a lot of Toxie info to take in all at once. I think I need to go lay down.