Posted in: Horror, Legendary, Movies | Tagged: Cineverse, legendary pictures, The Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger Director Details an Important Cameo in the New Film

Director Macon Blair says a Lloyd Kaufman cameo was “baked in” to his Toxic Avenger reboot, led by Peter Dinklage.

The Toxic Avenger, Macon Blair's unrated reboot of Troma's 1984 cult splatter-superhero, has finally clawed its way from festival buzz to a proper theatrical run, aiming to keep the series' uniquely gross DNA while updating the satire for a new crowd. And this time around, Legendary partnered with original creators Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz on the zany genre-blending revival.

The latest entry follows in the wake of a franchise that spawned three sequels, a Saturday-morning cartoon (Toxic Crusaders), and even a stage musical that proved its staying power (no matter how niche). And because it wouldn't be a Toxic Avenger without a nod to its roots, Blair is now saying that the new movie needed to embrace one key tradition.

The Toxic Avenger Director on Including a Lloyd Kaufman Cameo

Speaking with Screen Rant, the writer-director explained that a Kaufman cameo was non-negotiable from the jump. "That was before we had any sort of idea what the story was going to be," Blair admits to the outlet. "The idea that there would need to be a Lloyd cameo at some point in the movie in some way was sort of baked into it. That seemed like it was a box that needed to be checked."

Plot-wise, Blair's take centers on Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), a down-on-his-luck janitor who's transformed by a catastrophic chemical mishap into a mop-wielding anti-hero. The reboot keeps the scrappy, practical-effects spirit, and prosthetics performer Luisa Guerreiro is the latest to help bring "Toxie" to life. Kevin Bacon plays swaggering mogul Bob Garbinger; Elijah Wood is his creepy brother, Fritz; Taylour Paige co-stars as whistleblower journo J.J. Doherty; and Jacob Tremblay appears as Winston's anxious stepson. (Yes, the tutu and the mop also make appearances.)

Behind the scenes, Blair (working with Legendary and Troma) steers the series toward an unrated, festival-tested blend of rowdy gore and oddly sweet core. After premiering as Fantastic Fest's opener in 2023 and doing the genre-circuit rounds, the film's long distribution limbo ended early this year, when Cineverse picked up U.S./Canada rights and teamed with Iconic Events for theaters. And as stated by early screening attendees (via Comic-Con), the film definitely doubled down on the practical mayhem and tongue-in-cheek environmentalism that made Toxie a midnight-movie icon in the first place.

Though, if you're still unsure, you can always find out for yourself, because The Toxic Avenger is in select theaters now.

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