I'll tell you, folks. Legendary's Toxic Avenger reboot is one of the most intriguing film projects going on right now. What even is this movie? Who thought to cast Peter Dinklage as the main character? The Toxic Avenger is a weird and wild superhero property that I never thought I'd see in the hands of someone other than Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Entertainment. To make matters even more exciting, Zola star Taylour Paige has just been added to the Toxic Avenger cast as its female lead.
Hailed as one of Troma Entertainment's most iconic properties, The Toxic Avenger is saturated with environmental themes and takes the idea of an unconventional superhero to strange and twisted places. The original film, directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman, follows a meek mop boy named Melvin who falls into a vat of toxic waste. After a grotesque transformation, Melvin seeks out the evildoers who tormented him and holds his city in an iron grip. In the new version, Toxie 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. Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz will serve as producers. Jacob Tremblay also stars in the upcoming reboot.
For horror fans, The Toxic Avenger is a carnival of gore, gross-out comedy, and practical effects. Like many of Troma's other films, The Toxic Avenger is crude, unapologetic, and even a bit heartwarming. After all, who doesn't like to see the underdog get his due?
The original film was so successful that it led to several sequels: The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. The corrupted character even got his own stage play in addition to an animated TV series called Toxic Crusaders (1991), in which Toxie and a ragtag group of misfit superheroes waged war on pollution.
How Legendary plans to reboot this iconic character with Dinklage wielding the mop is anyone's guess, but I'll tell you what, I'm dying to find out. I'm not joking. My curiosity for this movie is through the roof. How straight will they play it? How many liberties will Kaufman allow Legendary to take with Troma's most recognizable character? Does this mean adaptations of other Tromaville movies could be in the cards? I have questions, dammit!