Kevin Bacon is set to face Toxie in Legendary’s upcoming reboot ofThe Toxic Avenger. Currently in production with Macon Blair writing and directing, the reimagining of the Troma Entertainment classic will starGame of Thronesfavorite Peter Dinklage as a new incarnation of “the first superhero from New Jersey.” Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige are also a part of the movie and the cast is gearing up to start filming later this month.
Kevin Baconhas been tapped to play “a slick (and likely over the top) villain.” Just last week, there were reportedrumors of Elijah Wood boarding the projectto play the antagonist, described as the head of a shady company who “embarks on a murderous spree to become as powerful as Toxie.” It’s unclear if this is the role Bacon has been cast in, but as the call sheet doesn’t include Wood’s name, it could be that his casting didn’t work out, or that the original report was erroneous.
The plot of the new movie is similar to that of the original, but it does come with some changes toToxie’s origin story. According to the new report,The Toxic Avengerreboot follows “a struggling everyman who, when pushed into a vat of toxic waste, is transformed into a mutant freak who 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.”
Bacon is no stranger to playing villains, so his casting is certainly great news forThe Toxic Avenger. He has played villains in superhero movies like James Gunn’sSuperandX-Men: First Class.The Toxic Avengeris part-horror, but that’s no issue for Bacon as well, as the actor began his career by getting killed off in the originalFriday the 13th. He is also known for starring in the classic killer worm movieTremorsand has been actively trying to reprise the role in a new TV series.
Directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman,The Toxic Avengerwas released by Troma Entertainment in 1984. It follows a bullied janitor (Mark Torgl) who transforms into the vigilante Toxie (Mitch Cohen, Kenneth Kessler) and starts taking out the city’s criminals, all due to an accident involving toxic waste. The cult classic would spawn several sequels and the popular cartoon seriesToxic Crusaders, but the original remains the favorite for many fans.
Remaking the movie would be a challenge for any filmmaker, but Herz and Kaufman are on board as producers to help ensure that it’s done right. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying that a remake hasn’t yet happened at this point, either. For years, there have been stalledattempts to reboot Toxiein years past. At one point, Arnold Schwarzenegger was in talks to play the radioactive superhero in a potential reboot, but dropped out to focus onTerminator: Genisys.
The Toxic Avengerreboot is scheduled to begin production in June in Bulgaria. A release date hasn’t yet been set by Legendary. This news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
