THE TOXIC AVENGER: First Look at Toxie in All His Grosteque Glory and Insight on the Design

The highly-anticipated remake of The Toxic Avenger is finally making a splash again with a couple of new photos that have been released. They offer a gruesome, glorious first look at Peter Dinklage’s Toxie.While Dinklage stars as the toxic hero, it’s actor and movement artist Luisa Guerreiro who actually brings the mutated character to life under layers of practical effects.The film is directed by Macon Blair and when talking about the design for Toxie, he told Entertainment Weekly: “The goal was to try to stay true to the vibe of Lloyd’s original Jennifer Aspinall/Mitch Cohen creature, with some influence from the Toxic Crusaders cartoon’s look, while also trying to do something new and weird and lovable with Toxie’s design.”Blair praises the work of Millennium FX, saying: “I love what Millennium FX did with it—part human, part mutant, all heart.” True to its Troma legacy, the new Toxic Avenger isn’t shying away from the grotesque. Blair previously teased, “It’s practical effects. You can see all the goopy little boils and stuff like that. And we definitely stayed true to some of the really iconic elements: the tutu that’s melted onto his body, the janitor’s mop as his super weapon.”The film follows Winston Gooze (Dinklage), a struggling janitor who falls into a vat of toxic waste and emerges as a monstrous yet powerful defender against corporate greed. This “timely reimagining” leans heavily into environmental themes while still packing in the absurd, over-the-top violence fans expect.Speaking of violence, Blair describes the film’s gore as “Itchy & Scratchy-type violence,” referencing The Simpsons' over-the-top cartoon brutality. He reveals, “We’ve got a guy that gets his head stuffed in a car engine and it kind of grinds his head up. That was a gag I was fond of.”Blair admits he was surprised by how far the studio let him push the insanity: “I kept expecting Legendary to say, ‘This is not what we want,’ but they kept agreeing to the things I pitched.” His goal is to “Embrace the silliness and trashiness, while wanting it to be an enjoyable, crowd-pleasing, rock’n’roll fun time.”Despite earlier reports that the film was deemed “unreleasable,” it was a hit at Fantastic Fest, and now fans will finally get to see it in all its unrated, gory glory. Dinklage himself is eager for audiences to experience it, saying, “I do want it to get out there into the world because it was a really big hit at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and Macon Blair, the writer/director who is also in The Thicket ... He’s incredible. He’s one of my favorite people and favorite artists. So hopefully it will have its day in the toxic sun.”Alongside Dinklage, the film boasts an impressive cast, including Elijah Wood, Julia Davis, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, and Jacob Tremblay. With a hard R rating and plenty of Troma-style carnage, it looks like The Toxic Avenger is ready to melt some faces. The movie is set to hit theaters on August 29,

Mar 13, 2025 - 19:02

THE TOXIC AVENGER: First Look at Toxie in All His Grosteque Glory and Insight on the Design

The highly-anticipated remake of The Toxic Avenger is finally making a splash again with a couple of new photos that have been released. They offer a gruesome, glorious first look at Peter Dinklage’s Toxie.

While Dinklage stars as the toxic hero, it’s actor and movement artist Luisa Guerreiro who actually brings the mutated character to life under layers of practical effects.

The film is directed by Macon Blair and when talking about the design for Toxie, he told Entertainment Weekly:

“The goal was to try to stay true to the vibe of Lloyd’s original Jennifer Aspinall/Mitch Cohen creature, with some influence from the Toxic Crusaders cartoon’s look, while also trying to do something new and weird and lovable with Toxie’s design.”

Blair praises the work of Millennium FX, saying: “I love what Millennium FX did with it—part human, part mutant, all heart.”

True to its Troma legacy, the new Toxic Avenger isn’t shying away from the grotesque. Blair previously teased, “It’s practical effects. You can see all the goopy little boils and stuff like that. And we definitely stayed true to some of the really iconic elements: the tutu that’s melted onto his body, the janitor’s mop as his super weapon.”

The film follows Winston Gooze (Dinklage), a struggling janitor who falls into a vat of toxic waste and emerges as a monstrous yet powerful defender against corporate greed. This “timely reimagining” leans heavily into environmental themes while still packing in the absurd, over-the-top violence fans expect.

Speaking of violence, Blair describes the film’s gore as “Itchy & Scratchy-type violence,” referencing The Simpsons' over-the-top cartoon brutality. He reveals, “We’ve got a guy that gets his head stuffed in a car engine and it kind of grinds his head up. That was a gag I was fond of.”

Blair admits he was surprised by how far the studio let him push the insanity: “I kept expecting Legendary to say, ‘This is not what we want,’ but they kept agreeing to the things I pitched.”

His goal is to “Embrace the silliness and trashiness, while wanting it to be an enjoyable, crowd-pleasing, rock’n’roll fun time.”

Despite earlier reports that the film was deemed “unreleasable,” it was a hit at Fantastic Fest, and now fans will finally get to see it in all its unrated, gory glory.

Dinklage himself is eager for audiences to experience it, saying, “I do want it to get out there into the world because it was a really big hit at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and Macon Blair, the writer/director who is also in The Thicket ... He’s incredible. He’s one of my favorite people and favorite artists. So hopefully it will have its day in the toxic sun.”

Alongside Dinklage, the film boasts an impressive cast, including Elijah Wood, Julia Davis, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, and Jacob Tremblay.

With a hard R rating and plenty of Troma-style carnage, it looks like The Toxic Avenger is ready to melt some faces. The movie is set to hit theaters on August 29,