The Toxic Avenger (2023 film)

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The Toxic Avenger
Toxic avenger 2023 poster.png
Teaser poster
Directed by Macon Blair
Screenplay byMacon Blair
Based on The Toxic Avenger
by Lloyd Kaufman
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Dana Gonzales
Edited by
  • Brett W. Bachman
  • James Thomas
Music by
  • Will Blair
  • Brooke Blair
Production
companies
Distributed by Cineverse
Release dates
  • September 21, 2023 (2023-09-21)(Fantastic Fest)
  • August 29, 2025 (2025-08-29)(United States)
Running time
102 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Toxic Avenger is a 2023 American superhero black comedy splatter film written and directed by Macon Blair. It is the fifth installment in The Toxic Avenger film series. The film stars Peter Dinklage as the title character, alongside Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, Sarah Niles, Julia Davis, Julian Kostov, and Elijah Wood.

Contents

The Toxic Avenger premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023, with a wider theatrical release planned by Cineverse in the United States for August 29, 2025. [2]

Premise

Set in a fantasy world following janitor Winston Gooze who, after a freak accident, transforms into a mutant vigilante known as Toxie. Armed with his mop, the unlikely hero battles freaks, gangsters and corrupt CEOs while trying to save his relationship with his son. [3] [4]

Cast

Production

In April 2010, a remake of The Toxic Avenger (1984) was announced. [9] 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. [10] In May 2013, Arnold Schwarzenegger was in talks for a role in the film. [11] He eventually dropped out to work on Terminator Genisys (2015). [12]

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. [13] 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. [14] In March 2019, Macon Blair was announced to write and direct. [15] 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. [16]

In November 2020, Peter Dinklage came on board to star. [17] Additional cast members were revealed from April to June 2021. [18] [19] [20] [21] Principal photography commenced on June 21, 2021 in Bulgaria and wrapped on August 14, 2021. [20] [22] [4] In December 2021, Dinklage said the film was "not a remake". [23] 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. [8]

Release

The Toxic Avenger premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023. [1] 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, on October 13, 2023. [24] [25]

In July 2024, it was reported that the reason for the film being unreleased for wider audiences was 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. [26] However, in January 2025, it was announced that Cineverse had acquired the distribution rights to the film, with plans to release it theatrically later that year; that same month, the company scheduled it for release in the United States on August 29, 2025. [27] [3] [2]

Reception

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." [28] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [29]

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References

  1. 1 2 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.
  2. 1 2 Goldsmith, Jill (January 31, 2025). "Cineverse Sets 'The Toxic Avenger' Release Date". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Zee, Michaela (January 21, 2025). "'The Toxic Avenger' Reboot Coming to Theaters in 2025". Variety . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Perry, Spencer (August 16, 2021). "Toxic Avenger Reboot Starring Peter Dinklage Wraps Production". ComicBook.com . Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Tilly, Chris (August 17, 2023). "The Toxic Avenger: Plot, cast & more". Dexerto. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Nooras, Dana (August 27, 2022). "'The Toxic Avenger': Cast, Plot, Rating, and Everything We Know So Far". Collider . Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  7. ↑ @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.
  8. 1 2 "Exclusive– Macon Blair discusses The Toxic Avenger remake". Bloody Flicks. January 30, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 6, 2010). "'The Toxic Avenger' Mops Up In Redo Deal". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on June 9, 2010.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Kit, Borys (May 13, 2013). "Arnold Schwarzenegger in Talks to Star in 'Toxic Avenger' Remake". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 14, 2016). "'Sausage Party' Co-Director Conrad Vernon to Helm 'Toxic Avenger' Remake". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ Pearson, Ben (December 10, 2018). "Toxic Avenger Remake Still Developing as Legendary Scoops Up the Rights". SlashFilm. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  15. ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 21, 2019). "Macon Blair to Direct and Write 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot for Legendary". Variety . Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ Kroll, Justin (November 30, 2020). "Peter Dinklage To Star In Legendary's 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  18. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 14, 2021). "'Toxic Avenger': Jacob Tremblay Joins Peter Dinklage In The Legendary Reboot". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  19. ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 3, 2021). "'Toxic Avenger': 'Zola' Star Taylour Paige Joins Peter Dinklage In The Legendary Reboot". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  20. 1 2 Kit, Borys (June 11, 2021). "Kevin Bacon Tapped for Villain Role in Legendary's 'Toxic Avenger' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter .
  21. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 16, 2021). "Julia Davis and Elijah Wood Join Peter Dinklage In Legendary's 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot". Deadline Hollywood .
  22. ↑ "The Toxic Avenger". Variety Insight . Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  23. ↑ O'Hara, Helen (December 23, 2021). "Peter Dinklage Teases His 'Over-The-Top, Crazy' Toxic Avenger Movie – Exclusive". Empire . Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  24. ↑ "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.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ Ruimy, Jordan (July 10, 2024). "Macon Blair's 'The Toxic Avenger' Deemed "Unreleasable"". World of Reel. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  27. ↑ Miska, Brad (January 21, 2025). "Cineverse Saves 'The Toxic Avenger' Remake With UNRATED Theatrical Release Later This Year". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  28. ↑ "The Toxic Avenger". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  29. ↑ "The Toxic Avenger". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
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