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The Toxic Avenger (2023 film)

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The Toxic Avenger
Teaser poster
Directed byMacon Blair
Screenplay byMacon Blair
Based onThe Toxic Avenger
by Lloyd Kaufman
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDana Gonzales
Edited by
  • Brett W. Bachman
  • James Thomas
Music by
  • Will Blair
  • Brooke Blair
Production
companies
Release date
Running time
102 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Toxic Avenger is a 2023 American superhero black comedy film written and directed by Macon Blair. It is the fifth installment in The Toxic Avenger film series. The film is produced by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, who also produced the previous films in the series. It stars Peter Dinklage as the title character, alongside Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, Sarah Niles, Julia Davis, Julian Kostov, and Elijah Wood. The film premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023 but has yet to receive a wide release outside of Festival screenings as of 2024.

Premise

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"Set in a fantasy world following 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."[3][verification needed]

Cast

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Production

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In April 2010, a remake of The Toxic Avenger (1984) was announced.[8] The remake, said to be aiming for a "family-friendly" PG-13 release similar to the animated Toxic Crusaders television series, was set to be co-written and directed by Steve Pink.[9] In May 2013, Arnold Schwarzenegger was in talks for a role in the film.[10] He eventually dropped out to work on Terminator Genisys (2015).[11]

In September 2016, reports indicated that Conrad Vernon would direct the film, with Guillermo del Toro of Double Dare You, Bob Cooper and Alex Schwartz of Storyscape Entertainment, and Akiva Goldsman and Greg Lessans of Weed Road Pictures executive producing, while Mike Arnold and Chris Poole were attached to rewrite the screenplay by Pink and Daniel C. Mitchell.[12] In December 2018, Legendary Pictures won the rights to reboot The Toxic Avenger, with the original's producers, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment, returning.[13] In March 2019, Macon Blair was announced to write and direct.[14] Of the script, Kaufman said, "Macon Blair knows Troma better than I do. He's seen everything. He's seen the cartoon [Toxic Crusaders], he's seen the Halloween special, he's seen everything. And he loves our movies... I've read the script and it's better than the original and I leave it to him. If I'm called upon, I'd be happy to jump in. I learned on the musical to leave the creative to the creative. I learned to let them ask so if they want me, I'm there... I hope that Legendary keeps going. If they let Macon Blair direct it, I think it will be terrific. He knows the Troma sense of humor, the combination of slapstick, and satire with the environmental theme.[15]

In November 2020, Peter Dinklage came on board to star.[16] Additional cast members were revealed from April to June 2021.[17][18][19][20] Principal photography commenced on June 21, 2021 in Bulgaria and wrapped on August 14, 2021.[19][21][3] In December 2021, Dinklage said the film was "not a remake".[22] In January 2022, Blair confirmed the film will employ practical gore effects, and the time period setting will be a "little bit of both" in the past and present.[7]

Release

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The Toxic Avenger premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023.[2] The film also played at Beyond Fest on September 30, 2023, before having its international debut at the 56th Sitges Film Festival, as part of the Out of Competition section, in October 2023.[23][24]

As of 2024, the film remains unreleased for wider audiences due to ongoing difficulties in securing a distributor. It has been described as "unreleasable" due to its gore and graphic content. Filmmaker and producer Adam Masnyk stated on X that no distributors have come forward, citing concerns that it is "not safe enough to market," and suggesting it could potentially become lost media.[25]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "Like the original, The Toxic Avenger isn't for everyone – but viewers seeking an extremely gory, extremely silly good time won't be disappointed."[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[27]

References

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  1. ^ Rife, Katie (September 22, 2023). "'The Toxic Avenger' Review: Peter Dinklage and Elijah Wood Lead Macon Blair's Winking Reboot of Troma's Greatest Hit". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Complex, Valerie (August 15, 2023). "Fantastic Fest Sets 2023 Lineup; Legendary Pictures' The Toxic Avenger To Open, Blumhouse Horror Comedy Totally Killer Closes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Perry, Spencer (August 16, 2021). "Toxic Avenger Reboot Starring Peter Dinklage Wraps Production". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Tilly, Chris (August 17, 2023). "The Toxic Avenger: Plot, cast & more". Dexerto. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Nooras, Dana (August 27, 2022). "'The Toxic Avenger': Cast, Plot, Rating, and Everything We Know So Far". Collider. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. ^ @AlsoBlair (July 15, 2021). "Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, I like him just fine. But he's a mouthbreather. @yow_david" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ a b "Exclusive– Macon Blair discusses The Toxic Avenger remake". Bloody Flicks. January 30, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 6, 2010). "'The Toxic Avenger' Mops Up In Redo Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010.
  9. ^ Lesnick, Silas (November 5, 2010). "Steve Pink to Reboot 'The Toxic Avenger'". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (May 13, 2013). "Arnold Schwarzenegger in Talks to Star in 'Toxic Avenger' Remake". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Topel, Fred (February 14, 2015). "TOXIC AVENGER Remake Still "Trying to Happen", Without Schwarzenegger". Nuke the Fridge. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 14, 2016). "'Sausage Party' Co-Director Conrad Vernon to Helm 'Toxic Avenger' Remake". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  13. ^ Pearson, Ben (December 10, 2018). "Toxic Avenger Remake Still Developing as Legendary Scoops Up the Rights". SlashFilm. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  14. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 21, 2019). "Macon Blair to Direct and Write 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot for Legendary". Variety. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  15. ^ Tinnin, Drew (January 11, 2021). "Epic Interview: Lloyd Kaufman Gives Update On TOXIC AVENGER Reboot & Talks 46 Years Of Troma". Dread Central. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  16. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 30, 2020). "Peter Dinklage To Star In Legendary's 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  17. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 14, 2021). "'Toxic Avenger': Jacob Tremblay Joins Peter Dinklage In The Legendary Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  18. ^ Kroll, Justin (May 3, 2021). "'Toxic Avenger': 'Zola' Star Taylour Paige Joins Peter Dinklage In The Legendary Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Kit, Borys (June 11, 2021). "Kevin Bacon Tapped for Villain Role in Legendary's 'Toxic Avenger' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 16, 2021). "Julia Davis and Elijah Wood Join Peter Dinklage In Legendary's 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot". Deadline Hollywood.
  21. ^ "The Toxic Avenger". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  22. ^ O'Hara, Helen (December 23, 2021). "Peter Dinklage Teases His 'Over-The-Top, Crazy' Toxic Avenger Movie – Exclusive". Empire. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  23. ^ "The Festival's 56th Edition Kicks Off by Announcing its Complete Lineup". Sitges Film Festival. September 12, 2023. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  24. ^ Pedersen, Erik (September 14, 2023). "Beyond Fest Sets 2023 Lineup: Genre Fest Features Roger Corman Tribute, 'It's A Wonderful Knife' Premiere, 'The Abyss' Screening, Guillermo del Toro, Brad Bird & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Ruimy, Jordan (July 10, 2024). "Macon Blair's 'The Toxic Avenger' Deemed "Unreleasable"". World of Reel. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  26. ^ "The Toxic Avenger". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  27. ^ "The Toxic Avenger". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
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