Toxic Avenger: Jacob Tremblay to join Peter Dinklage for Troma reboot

Here’s a weird one for you. Jacob Tremblay, who made a name for himself after starring opposite Brie Larson in 2015’s Room, is set to star in Legendary’s new Toxic Avenger movie. Directed by Macon Blair (Green Room, Murder Party), the new Toxie project based on Troma Entertainment’s 1984 horror-comedy THE TOXIC AVENGER, will be a contemporary reimagining starring Peter Dinklage.

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.

For plenty of horror fans, The Toxic Avenger is a roller coaster ride of gore, gross-out comedy, and practical effects. Like many of Troma’s other films, The Toxic Avenger is crude, unapologetic, and perhaps a bit heartwarming. After all, who doesn’t like to see the little guy get his due? Nobody likes a bully, especially Toxie.

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RELATED: The Toxic Avenger reboot to star Peter Dinklage

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.

As an old-school Troma fan, I must admit that I’m uncontrollably curious about this project. Peter Dinklage as Toxie? Bring it the hell on, I say. Also, I’ve no idea who Tremblay is expected to play, so that should be an interesting development as well. When you stop to think about how much our planet is falling apart due to global warming and whatnot, nor feels like the perfect time for the Toxic Avenger to come back into the fold. Eco-terrorists beware!