Movies
Writer Attached to ‘The Toxic Avenger 5: The Toxic Twins’!!
Troma Entertainment has signed Los Angeles writer Collyn McCoy to ink The Toxic Avenger 5: The Toxic Twins, the 5th iteration of the iconic Toxic Avenger series of movies. McCoy came to the attention of Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and Creator of the Toxic Avenger, by a chance meeting with Josh Olson, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of A History of Violence at Gremlins director Joe Dante’s office where both were filming segments of Dante’s webseries “Trailers from Hell.”
“Collyn’s unique talent will do more than justice to Troma’s 35-year, no-compromises legacy of shit-disturbing movies of the future!” said Kaufman. “His script will undoubtedly be 100% Grade-A Troma!” McCoy’s recent script THE HIGH LIFE (with co-writer Jacob J. Mauldin) is currently being produced by Route One Films, a new film company recently formed by Troma alum Jay Stern and Chip Diggins.
THE TOXIC AVENGER is a seminal film in American film history, and has clearly influenced and inspired many of today’s mainstream directors, such as Trey Parker, Eli Roth, James Gunn and Quentin Tarantino. It is perhaps the most beloved title of Troma Entertainment, one of the longest running independent film studios in history (36 years). Since his introduction into the film world, “TOXIE” has become the definitive youth-oriented “cult” monster hero, and is recognized world-wide. Among its many iterations, THE TOXIC AVENGER has spawned a hit off-Broadway musical, Marvel comic book series, four film sequels, a popular Saturday-morning cartoon show, action figures, video games, and is currently being remade into a big-budget, mainstream film by Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman and his team.
The original 1986 film told the story of Melvin, the Tromaville Health Club mop boy, who inadvertently and naively trusts the hedonistic, contemptuous and vain health club members, to the point of accidentally ending up in a vat of toxic waste. The devastating results then have a transmogrification effect, his alter ego is released, and the Toxic Avenger is born, to deadly and comical results. The local mop boy is now the local Superhero, the savior of corruption, thuggish bullies and indifference.
Movies
R-Rated ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ Director’s Cut Gets New Title and Streaming Premiere Date
After a slight delay, Disney has finally announced a new streaming date for the R-Rated director’s cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe. According to Gizmodo, it’ll also come with a new title.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn begins streaming on Hulu on August 14.
The new cut was first teased in an interview with director Chris Carter on the Fail Better With David Duchovny podcast from last year, where he teased a much scarier movie he intended.
“Now I have a chance to go back and make the scary movie that I always intended to make,” Carter explained last year. “It’s not just doing a Director’s Cut to do a Director’s Cut. It’s really kind of bringing to life something that for me was on the page and never got to the screen.“
The director’s cut of the film was initially set to arrive on Disney+ in June, but quietly disappeared from the schedule without a word. Polygon reported the delay was “due to some last-minute adjustments being made to the film.”
The release’s new “Vrach Frankenshteyn” title certainly suggests those adjustments have been made, likely referring to a Frankensteining of bonus footage.
In the film, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) have been out of the FBI for several years, with Mulder living in isolation and Scully having become a doctor at a Catholic hospital, where she has formed a bond with a critically ill child patient.
When an FBI agent is mysteriously kidnapped, and a former Catholic priest who has been convicted of pedophilia claims to be experiencing psychic visions of the endangered agent, Scully is asked to bring Mulder back to the bureau to consult on the case because of his work with psychics.
The brand new R-rated cut will “faithfully restore the filmmaker’s original vision.”
Look for it on Hulu next month.