Movies
‘The Toxic Avenger’ Remake – First Image Previews the Next Evolution of Troma’s Hero
Get ready to meet Winston Gooze in The Toxic Avenger remake, which will have its World Premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, in Austin, Texas (September 21 – 28).
“A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor Winston Gooze into a new evolution of hero: THE TOXIC AVENGER!” Fantastic Fest writes of writer/director Macon Blair‘s (I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore, Green Room) fresh take on the Troma classic.
The above image teases a first look at the new Toxie, an appropriately named Winston Gooze, played by “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage. While there’s no release date just yet, expect that to follow soon after its Fantastic Fest debut. Also check out teaser art below.
The 1984 original film revolved around nerdy janitor Melvin Ferd Junko III (Mitch Cohen) and his unwitting transformation into the toxic sludge hero; it’s clear that Blair won’t retell the same story as we know it.
Elijah Wood, Julia Davis, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, Peter Dinklage, and Jacob Tremblay lead the cast of Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger, being called a “contemporary reimagining.”
Blair’s take on The Toxic Avenger has been rated “R” for violence and gore, and it’s aiming to please hardcore fans of the wacky Troma franchise.
The filmmaker previously explained, “The guiding principle was that the story could exist on its own terms but in spirit would feel connected to the original.”
“A contemporary reimagining of Troma Entertainment’s successful 1984 low-budget action-comedy hit, The Toxic Avenger is steeped in environmental themes and subverts the superhero genre in the vein of Deadpool. When a struggling everyman is pushed into a vat of toxic waste, he 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,” Deadline previously detailed of the upcoming remake.
Two-time BAFTA winning filmmaker Joe Wright (Hanna, “Black Mirror“) is set to direct the feature adaptation of post-apocalyptic thriller novel, Juice, Deadline reports today.
Emmy winner Abi Morgan (Shame, “Eric”) will adapt Tim Winton‘s novel for Working Title Films.
In Juice, “A young husband and father is recruited into a top-secret resistance organization, to join the ranks of militia men tasked with targeting the isolated and wealthy culprits responsible for this global catastrophe. When a mission goes wrong, he finds himself on the run, having to fight to the end to survive in this hostile world.”
It’s set in a world ravaged by climate-change disaster.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled that Tim Winton has entrusted us with his extraordinary epic,” Wright told Deadline. “The story is both a thrilling modern family saga and an urgent call to action. I cannot wait for audiences to experience it on the big screen.”
Winton added, “I’m pleased to know a filmmaker of Joe Wright’s calibre has chosen to adapt Juice for the screen. His capacity to portray the turmoil and the turning points of nations and peoples as well as private individuals distinguishes his work as a director and I’m confident that Juice is in good hands.”
Juice was initially published in October 2024 and longlisted for The Climate Fiction Prize 2026.
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