In May 2022, we reported that Macon Blair’s upcoming Toxic Avenger movie scored a hard “R” rating. A trailer was released in September, but you may be wondering why it hasn’t been released yet. Well, that’s complicated.
Multiple sources report that it may never be released. It has been deemed “unreleasable” and considered “too out there” to play in theaters. There’s also a lot of complicated licensing involved, which may be why distributors avoid it.
Filmmaker and producer Adam Masnyk of Trick or Treat Studios recently took to X/Twitter. He stated that it is “not safe enough to market” and revealed that no one has acquired it to distribute. When all is said and done, it could maybe even turn out to be “lost media,” the filmmaker stated.
The movie “follows Winston, a stereotypical weakling who works as a janitor at Garb-X health club and is diagnosed with a terminal illness that can only be cured by an expensive treatment that his greedy, power-hungry employer refuses to pay for. After deciding to take matters into his own hands and rob his company, Winston falls into a pit of toxic waste and is transformed into a deformed monster that sets out to do good and get back at all the people who have wronged him.”
The cast includes Elijah Wood (Maniac, Come to Daddy), Julia Davis (Sally4Ever), Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Kevin Bacon (Tremors), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones”), and Jacob Tremblay (The Predator). Loyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, the directors of the original movie, are producing the new version of Troma’s classic.
There’s Still Hope.
While theatergoers may never see it, a streaming service like Shudder or Tubi could still release it. So, keep your fingers crossed. And we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you missed the 1984 original, you can watch it now on AMC+, Peacock, and Pluto.
