Peter Dinklage Will Be Legendary’s ‘Toxic Avenger’
No, not that kind of avenger.
It was shocking to hear that Legendary was picking up the rights to The Toxic Avenger movie series back in 2018, and now it is shocking to hear the reboot is moving forward for real.
Deadline is reporting that Peter Dinklage, who is best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, is picking up the mop and setting out to combat crime and corruption.
The original Toxic Avenger movie follows a weak everyman called Melvin Ferd, who works as a janitor at a club in Tromaville. After some bullies trick him into wearing a pink tutu and kissing a sheep, he is chased around the club and ends up falling into a drum of toxic waste. The chemicals transform him into a deformed and hideous creature while also boosting his size and strength. After a series of misunderstandings and fights, he becomes a hero and decides to weed out crime and corruption.
Originally envisioned as a B-series black comedy “splatter” movie, The Toxic Avenger had a poor first release, but it eventually found an audience through continued midnight showings. Three less successful sequels followed: The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV.
A short-lived cartoon titled Toxic Crusaders featuring Toxie as the leader of a group of mutated superheroes also happened at one point, with New Line Cinema later showing interest in turning it into a live-action movie that never took off. Somehow, Toxic Avenger became a musical stage production and a Marvel comic too.
Peter Dinklage has found success outside Game of Thrones over the last few years in movies such as X-Men: Days of Future Past, Avengers: Infinity War, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. He is joining long-time Jeremy Saulnier collaborator Macon Blair, who made a splash with his 2017 writing-directing debut I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz are overseeing the project and serving as producers.
I wonder how the filmmakers are approaching and updating the original material for a mainstream audience, as the original movie worked by sheer luck and only later found “cult status” among lovers of sleazy B-flicks. Color me curious.
Francisco J. Ruiz is that guy who has watched Jurassic Park a thousand times and loves Star Wars. His hunger for movies is only matched by his love for video games. He graduated in English Studies from the University of Malaga, in Spain. As he keeps writing about what he enjoys (and doesn’t) for websites all over, he’s continuing his studies.
