The Toxic Avenger is back and is looking better than ever, which is to say, looking like low-budget grindhouse mayhem done in the best kind of way. The Troma cult-classic from 1984 gets a modern makeover with, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage taking over the role of the titular hero (or “Toxie” as he’s called) from original Toxic Avenger actor Mitch Cohen. An ensemble of famous faces will join Dinklage in the mayhem, including Jacob Tremblay (The Predator), Taylour Paige (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F), Jane Levy (Evil Dead remake), with Kevin Bacon and Elijah Wood showing up as villainous brothers Bob and Fritz Garbinger.
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As you can see in the trailer below, The Toxic Avenger (2025) is fully embracing the low-budget ‘splatter film’ spirit of the original, which is exactly what the hardcore fans probably want to see.
What Is The Toxic Avenger About?
The latest synopsis for the Toxic Avenger remake states, “When a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze (Dinklage), is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son, his friends, and his community. In a world where greed runs rampant… justice is best served radioactive.
The film stars Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Taylour Paige, Jacob Tremblay, and Jane Levy. Written and directed by Macon Blair and based on Lloyd Kaufman’s film of the same name, The Toxic Avenger opens in theaters on August 29, 2025.”
Writer-director Macon Blair is carving out a nice lane for himself as a sort of Americana filmmaker with a slight grindhouse flair to his work. He directed the neo-Noir black comedy I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (starring Wood and Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey), and also wrote the Netflix genre movie Small Crimes and Hold the Dark, with the latter becoming something of a cult hit. He even produced the cult-hit horror flick Green Room and Netflix’s Rebel Ridge, which became a breakout hit last year.
Ironically enough, this Toxic Avenger remake has been sitting on the shelf for the last few years since it was first screened at Fantastic Fest 2023. Due to the unrated nature of the film (which boasts extreme violence, gore, and other graphic content), it could not find a major theatrical distributor. That roadblock was finally cleared early this year when Cineverse acquired the film, and set it for release at the end of summer.
Needless to say, there’s already an eager fanbase awaiting The Toxic Avenger‘s release in theaters on August 29th.
