Filmmaker Macon Blair seems to know what he’s getting into with his remake of the 1984 cult classic The Toxic Avenger–and he’s done his due diligence on the film.
The reboot of the Troma Entertainment classic–which still does not have a release date–will be set in modern times, but will pay homage to the original, according to a recent interview with Blair.
The writer/director said he was hesitant at first to pitch his take on the reboot, according to a report on movieweb.com, “but then I kept thinking about it and ended up suggesting a version of the character to Legendary,” he said. “The guiding principle was that the story could exist on its own terms, but would feel connected to the original.”
Blair said he saw Toxie as “an impressionable kid, and it had quite an impact on me–the absurdity and gleeful bad taste of it. I don’t presume we’re going to be able to please every person, but the intention and hope is that fans will feel like we’ve preserved some of that Kaufman vibe.”
At the same time, he added, “we wanted to make a movie that will connect with contemporary audiences who may not have heard of Troma or Toxie–who are coming into it without that context. So, it can’t all be winks and nods and a rehash of the original.”
The reboot of The Toxic Avenger–which wrapped production last year–stars Peter Dinklage in the title role, Kevin Bacon as the villain, Jacob Tremblay as Toxie’s son, Taylour Paige in the female lead, Jonny Coyne as a “shadowy criminal figure” and Sarah Niles as a “corrupt city official”. And, if that isn’t enough, Elijah Wood and Julia Davis round out the impressive ensemble.
The film will tell the sad story of Winston, a janitor who tumbles into a vat of toxic waste and is transformed into “a monster who sets out to do good and to get back at the people who have wronged him.” Go get ’em, Toxie!
The original film–directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by Kaufman and Joe Ritter–did not make a big splash at the box office (earning just $800,000 on a budget of $500,000), but it grew into a cult classic that spawned three sequels, an animated children’s TV show and various comic books.
Keep reading Horror News Network for the next update on the remake of The Toxic Avenger.
