In July, we reported that the Toxic Avenger remake had been deemed “unreleasable.” But things have changed. Cineverse has come to the movie’s rescue. Cineverse has scored the rights to Macon Blair’s take on the iconic character and will release it later this year.
You may be wondering why it hasn’t been released yet. Well, that’s complicated. It had been deemed “unreleasable” and considered “too out there” and brutal to play in theaters. Adam Masnyk of Trick or Treat Studios took to X/Twitter last year to state that it is “not safe enough to market.”
The movie follows Winston, a stereotypical weakling who works as a janitor at Garb-X health club. He is diagnosed with a terminal illness that can only be cured by expensive treatment. However, his greedy, power-hungry employer refuses to pay for it. 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 impressive cast includes Elijah Wood (Maniac, Come to Daddy), Kevin Bacon (Tremors), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and Jacob Tremblay (The Predator). Julia Davis (Sally4Ever) and Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) round out the cast. Loyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, the directors of the original movie, are producing the new version of Troma’s classic.
While Toxic Avenger has had its issues, it made an impression at its Fantastic Fest screening and currently has a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, so it has done something right. We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, watch the original on Troma or Prime Video.
