The Big Picture
- The Toxic Avenger remake will feature a new version of the hero, played by Peter Dinklage, who decides to help those in need after a horrible accident.
- Elijah Wood will play the role of Fritz, a Gothic henchman who carries out dirty deeds for the bad guys and is unrecognizable from his usually sweet image.
- The film will bring a classic hero into modern times with the participation of other stars such as Jacob Tremblay, Kevin Bacon, and Taylour Paige.
The Toxic Avenger remake will introduce audiences to a new version of the cult classic Troma film following a hero who goes through a horrible accident, and becomes the unexpected savior of his community. The current version of the story will see Peter Dinklage becoming Winston Gooze, the person who worked at the maintenance department of a health company before his life changed forever. But the movie will also feature Elijah Wood portraying Fritz Garbinger, a role that was created specifically for him. During a recent interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Macon Blair, the filmmaker behind the remake, explained why he wrote the character for Wood:
“Oh, wow. Fritz. Elijah Wood playing Fritz, who is like the henchman, carries out the dirty deeds for the bad guys, and he’s kind of this Gothic creep-looking guy, you know, he’s bald. The whole idea was to make him be unrecognizable as sweet, kind-faced Elijah Wood and just have him be as equally as monstrous as Toxie was. I wrote that part for him, and I didn’t really think about anybody else for that one. Luckily, I pitched him to Legendary, I pitched the part to him, and everybody was very quickly on board. That was the easiest.”
Wood will be far away from his popular role of Frodo Baggings in the Lord of the Rings franchise, as the heroics he went through in Middle Earth will be a distant cry from the evil plans he’ll make a reality in The Toxic Avenger. Wood instantly became one of the most recognizable names to join the project, but he’s not the only star who will participate in the upcoming remake. After being involved in many family-oriented projects, Jacob Tremblay will become a part of the remake.
As part of the antagonists that will make Winston’s life miserable, Fritz will try to help his brother Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) with all of his attempts to bring the Toxic Avenger down. At the end of the day, the hero will have to bring the best of his abilities to defeat the villains who are coming after them, in a story about a savior that is not like other heroes seen in the superhero genre. Winston will have a short amount of time before the people who want to hurt him the most come knocking on his door.
The Legacy of an Unconventional Hero
The original Toxic Avenger movie premiered in theaters in 1984, with Mitch Cohen stepping into the shoes of Melvin Ferd Junko III. The film allowed the story to turn into a franchise that saw its final installment hit screens in 2000, setting the stage for the upcoming iteration of the character to make its debut a couple of decades later. While the characters appearing in the remake won’t be the same as the ones participating in the original story, they will bring their own style to the hero’s origin, including the introduction of Mayor Togar (Sarah Niles) and Taylour Paige playing rogue investigator J. J. Doherty.
The Toxic Avenger remake does not yet have a release date but stay tuned at Collider for future updates. In the meantime, check out Nemiroff’s full conversation with Blair.
