Legendary's new Toxic Avenger movie has cast Jacob Tremblay opposite Peter Dinklage. Released by Troma Entertainment in 1984, The Toxic Avenger saw an extremely limited theatrical release before gaining popularity as a cult classic midnight movie at grindhouse theaters in New York City's Greenwich Village. As a low-budget B-movie, The Toxic Avenger became known for its campy concepts and gruesome violence. The film even went to spawn multiple sequels such as The Toxic Avenger Part II and Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, as well as a stage musical production, a children’s cartoon, and a Marvel comic.

Since first being announced in 2010, the Toxic Avenger reboot has bounced around multiple directors before finally landing on Macon Blair (I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore) when Legendary Pictures acquired the rights to the film in December of 2018. In late 2020, it was announced that Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame had been cast as the titular Toxic Avenger.

Related: 10 Best Troma Horror Movies (Including The Toxic Avenger)

Now, Jacob Tremblay has been cast opposite Dinklage in Legendary's new Toxic Avenger movie, which is not described as a reboot but a "contemporary reimagining" of Troma Entertainment's cult classic action-comedy from 1984. According to Deadline, the Toxic Avenger will be full of environmental themes and subvert the superhero genre a la Deadpool.

Peter Dinklage to star in Toxic Avenger reboot

The Toxic Avenger will follow a struggling everyman (a lonely janitor named Melvin Ferd in the original) who is pushed into a vat of toxic chemicals and turned into a mutant freak. He then must go from a "shunned outcast to underdog hero as he races to save his son, his friends, and his community from the forces of corruption and greed." Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, the original movie directors, will serve as producers on Legendary's contemporary reimagining.

At a young age, Jacob Tremblay has put together an impressive filmography that demonstrates he would be prepared to take on just about any role. His breakout performance came in 2015 when he starred opposite Brie Larson in Room. Tremblay portrays a child with Treacher Collins syndrome in the 2017 drama Wonder and headlines the raunchy R-rated comedy Good Boys in 2019. With Blair set to helm and a-listers like Tremblay and Dinklage attached to star, the long-developed reimagination of The Toxic Avenger is finally taking shape. Films like Deadpool, Kick-Ass, and Dredd have had a lot of success subverting the superhero genre, so it will be interesting to see how The Toxic Avenger is updated for modern audiences.

Next: Why Peter Dinklage Is The Perfect Choice For A Modern Toxic Avenger

Source: Deadline