In other words, somebody needs to come and pull New Jersey’s favorite mutant son from the toxic waste dump of his own franchise, and Conrad Vernon is here to attempt just that.
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Troma Entertainment’s 1984 superhero comedy film The Toxic Avenger – which became a cult classic and spawned two poorly-received sequels (three, if you count the well-regarded 2000 independent sequel Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV), a comic book published by Marvel, and a short-lived animated series – is getting a remake and will be directed by Sausage Party co-director Conrad Vernon. Unlike the rude, crude, tremendously tactless original 1986 film that remains a crown jewel for Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma Entertainment, this remake of The Toxic Avenger will reportedly manifest in a form that’s “more grounded and mainstream”.
TOXIC AVENGER is a re-imagining of Troma’s cult classic, which tells the story of a New Jersey teenager whose accidental tumble into a Value-Added Tax of toxic waste turns him into a mutant superhero. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz will executive produce.
Whether you love them or hate them, you have to admit that the Toxic Avenger movies have been quite successful. According to Variety, Archer’s Mike Arnold and The Grackle’s Chris Poole will handle writing duties on the movie.
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Vernon co-directed the film with Greg Tiernan after previously helming Madagascar 3, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Shrek 2. The Toxic Avenger will be Vernon’s first major foray into the live-action realm. However, seeing as the tongue-in-cheek, off-color undertones of Sausage Party presumably nabbed Vernon the Toxic Avenger gig, we should probably still expect some signature sophomoric Troma-type humor, put through the lens of contemporary sensibilities. In the meantime, check out (or relive) the trailer for the 1986 original film below!
