Toxic things come to those who wait. The Toxic Avenger, Austin filmmaker Macon Blair’s reboot of the 1984 cult classic splatter comedy of the same name, is finally to be released later this year.
Yesterday, distributor Cineverse announced that they will be releasing the film theatrically and unrated later this year.
The new version of The Toxic Avenger is the fifth film in the franchise created by Troma Entertainment mastermind Lloyd Kaufman, and the first since Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. The original series, as well as the short-lived kid-friendly Toxic Crusaders animated spinoff, centered on a weedy janitor called Melvin Junko who is transformed into a mutated tutu-wearing superhero, dispatching villains with his deadly mop. In the reboot, produced by Legendary Pictures (Dune, Inception), the hero is Winston Gooze, played by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who undergoes a similar chemical waste transformation to take on a criminal conspiracy headed up by Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) and his brother (Elijah Wood).
Blair’s remake premiered at Fantastic Fest 2023 as the opening night film, where we said “It’s Troma, baby, just how you like it. … A joyfully idiotic big budget remake.” However, it’s sat on the shelf ever since then, with wild rumors in the trades that it was “unreleasable” – which, as anyone who was at that screening could tell you, was complete nonsense.
Now, after Cineverse saw massive success with the hyper-gory Terrifier 3, it’s time for ol’ Toxie to clean up crime.
The 2019 announcement that Blair was directing the Toxie reboot surprised audiences who had come to know him as the star of heavy dramas like Blue Ruin and writer/director of the quirky I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. However, he’s a lifelong fan of Toxie, and now gets to show his grotesque comedic streak to the world. He told the Chronicle, “I’m stoked that after a very-intentional-multiyear waiting period, folks will have a chance to see Toxie in theatres, ideally ones that serve liquor. Proud to say that a few scenes were shot in Austin with local talent, of which there is an abundance.”
In his signature excited style, Troma founder Kaufman said, “[producer and Troma co-founder] Michael Herz, Toxie and I have mopped our tears away! Macon Blair’s Fantoxic reimagining of Toxie’s life is even better than Troma’s! The Troma Fans will be ecstatic!”
This article appears in January 17 • 2025.