The de facto mascot for Troma — the independent film production company known for some of the most disturbing, absurd, and even controversial cult favorites of all time — is the titular hero of The Toxic Avenger.
In the eyes of audiences who indulge in shocking violence, gross-out practical effects, and heartwarming underdog stories, the 1984 B-movie might be seen as one of the best superhero movies of its time. Those same people might be excited to know that the franchise is continuing with a new reimagining of the original, and the following is your guide to everything you need to know about the upcoming superhero movie reboot.
What Is The Toxic Avenger Release Date?
At the moment, The Toxic Avenger has no official release date. However, we can confirm that the film is completed, as it premiered at Fantastic Fest in September 2023. Therefore, a spot on the upcoming 2024 movies schedule is likely and would be quite fitting, given that the original film is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
An Underdog Story About A Janitor-Turned-Hero Via Toxic Waste
As established, The Toxic Avenger is a reimagining of the cheesy ‘80s sci-fi comedy where a gawky, rail-thin teenager named Melvin Fred Junko III (Mark Torgl), works as a custodian at a gym in Tromaville. That is, until a cruel prank results in him accidentally falling into a drum of toxic waste. Instead of killing him, the chemicals transform him into a grotesque mutant (portrayed by Mitch Cohen, but voiced by Kenneth Kessler), but also give him super powers that he uses to rid his town of its dastardly derelicts and corrupt authority figures.
The basic zero-to-hero metamorphosis plot is carried through in the reboot, but with a few key changes that help it stand alone. According to Legendary Pictures’ previously released official description, the central character is a middle-aged man named Winston, who does also work as a janitor and is severely underpaid by his greedy boss. He tries to acquire the pay he deserves by attempting to rob his company — a chemical factory — which only results in him falling into a pit of toxic waste, transforming him into “Toxie.”
The Trailer Is A Compilation Of '80s Nostalgia-Fueled Camp
Considering how strongly the story of The Toxic Avenger breaks tradition from superhero fiction and cinematic craftsmanship in general, it only makes sense that the new film’s trailer feels anything but traditional. It, at least, feels faithful to the same cheesy tone and gory visuals of the original, as you can see by checking out the first official, red-band teaser below:
The clip starts off as a compilation of crudely shot TV news reports and interviews that feature hilarious easter eggs hinting at the new Toxie’s appearance — from a close-up image of a face crudely doodled on a potato to one call-in interviewee claiming he looks like a “fucked up hot dog.”
It soon cleverly transitions into a more traditionally dramatized scene of the eponymous hero (whose face is not unveiled) thwarting a fast food restaurant robbery by brutal means that the layman might call shocking, but a true Toxic Avenger fan has come to expect. What does come unexpected, however, is seeing the crimefighter wield a scepter with a glowing green top that resembles Kryptonite — which could be a reimagining of the original Toxie's signature weapon: a mop.
Peter Dinklage Leads The Cast
The previous installments of the Toxic Avenger franchise are not known for having an A-list ensemble. However, that is not the case for the reboot. Let’s take a look at who stars in the new Toxic Avenger cast one by one, below.
Peter Dinklage (Winston Gooze/The Toxic Avenger)
Leading The Toxic Avenger as Winston Gooze and his “toxic” alter ego is Peter Dinklage, whose previous contributions to the superhero movie genre include X-Men: Days of Future Past as Bolivar Trask and Avengers: Infinity War as Eitri — a giant responsible for constructing the Infinity Gauntlet. The actor is even better known for his four-time Emmy-winning performance in the Game of Thrones cast as Tyrion Lannister.
Jacob Tremblay (Wade)
According to EW, Winston’s stepson, Wade, is played by Jacob Tremblay in his live-action superhero movie debut, having previously lent his voice to Max’s animated Harley Quinn series as Robin. However, the Canadian actor — best known from the acclaimed A24 movie, Room — is well-versed in horror (such as his memorable scene from Doctor Sleep) and comedy (Good Boys, most notably), so the combination of the two promises that this role should be a breeze for him.
Taylour Paige (JJ Doherty)
We also know from EW that another A24 movie star, Taylour Paige (from the fact-based drama Zola) is starring as JJ Doherty — an investigative reporter who aspires to be a vigilante herself. The Toxic Avenger is not the only 2024 action-comedy on her plate, as she is also part of Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F cast as Eddie Murphy’s onscreen daughter, Jane.
Elijah Wood (Fritz Garbinger)
One of the central antagonists from The Toxic Avenger is Fritz Garbinger, played by Elijah Wood. The former child star who still acts is better known for playing the heroic Frodo from the Lord of the Rings movies, but has a few villains under his belt — such as Kevin from the Sin City cast or the deadly protagonist of his 2012, first-person remake of Maniac.
Kevin Bacon (Bob Garbinger)
Fritz’s older, also villainous brother, Bob Garbinger, is played by Taylour Paige’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F co-star, Kevin Bacon — an undisputed icon known for great ‘80s movies like the original Friday the 13th, Footloose, and plenty more. This marks his latest of several superhero movie roles, having played the main bad guy in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and James Gunn’s 2010 dark comedy, Super, and, later, himself in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Julia Davis
EW did not have a scoop on the role played by Julia Davis, who is best known from Love Actually and as the star of the BBC comedy, Nighty Night. She also starred in one of the best Black Mirror episodes (“Fifteen Million Merits”) and, more recently, acclaimed films like Phantom Thread and a great horror movie that addresses grief from Netflix called Run Rabbit Run.
The Toxic Avenger Is Rated R
According to ComingSoon.net, when talk of a Toxic Avenger reboot first broke ground, the intent was, reportedly, to make it a PG-13-friendly take more in line with the animated spin-off series, Toxic Crusaders. Luckily, Macon Blair went in the more traditional direction and came out with a film that, like its four feature-length predecessors, has earned itself an R rating. According the FilmRatings.com, the movie contains strong violence and gore, language throughout, sexual references and brief graphic nudity — all of which are staples of the franchise.
The Toxic Avenger Is 102 Minutes
The original Toxic Avenger was only a little more than 80 minutes long, while each of its sequels surpassed 100 minutes. The reboot falls under the latter category, rounding out at 102 minutes, to be exact, according to Deadline’s report on 2023’s Fantastic Fest lineup.
From Writer And Director Macon Blair
This new reimagining of The Toxic Avenger comes from the mind of Macon Blair, who previously made his debut as a writer and director with the 2017 Netflix film, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, which also starred Elijah Wood. Some audiences may recognize the filmmaker as an actor in the Oppenheimer cast and from his lead role in an acclaimed revenge movie from 2013 called Blue Ruin — one of his many collaborations with director Jeremy Saulnier. Blair also appears in The Toxic Avenger, as evidenced by a brief glimpse in the trailer.
Blair’s work on the film has earned high praise from Lloyd Kaufman, who co-wrote the original classic with Joe Ritter and also co-directed it with his Troma Entertainment co-founder, Michael Herz. Kaufman told Dread Central, “Macon Blair knows Troma better than I do,” before going on about the filmmaker’s extensive knowledge of the Toxic Avenger franchise — including the aforementioned early '90s animated series. Both Kaufman and Herz are credited as producers for the reboot.
Early Toxic Avenger Reviews Have Been Positive
Another comment Lloyd Kaufman made to Dread Central about the new Toxic Avenger is that he believes Macon Blair’s script is better that the one he wrote decades earlier. The world already seems to agree with him, based on the film’s impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 91%.
Those who are looking for something bizarre and out of the ordinary from the superhero movie shall most likely get just what they are looking for with The Toxic Avenger. For those who just can't wait to see more of Toxie in action, THR reports that AHOY Comics is publishing a new graphic series starring the character.
