We’ve known since April that Troma’s most famous creation, “Toxie” the Toxic Avenger is coming back thanks to a new producing team nabbing the rights to launch a fresh franchise based on the character. But now he has a guiding hand in the form of Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink.
The hero of the piece is Melvin, a socially and, to some degree, mentally, challenged caretaker at a health spa who is ignored by women, sneered at by co-workers and generally finds life tough. His naïveté sees him thrown into a vat of toxic waste by leering criminal types. But he emerges as a muscular warrior who, despite his melty appearance, is a hit with the ladies and who uses his newfound powers for good.
While we worried in the original story that producers Akiva Goldsman, Charlie Corwin and Richard Saperstein had plans to turn Toxie into a kid-friendly eco-hero with little of the satirical bite and outrageous nonsense of the Troma productions, the hiring of Pink gives us hope that it might be a little bit more anarchic. Still, we bet whichever studio picks up the projects will push for a PG-13 rating.
"The Toxic Avenger is exactly what the country – wait, that's not big enough – what the world needs right now," Pink tells Deadline, and he’s not wrong. We just hope it’s a little more Troma and a little less traditional.