Peter Dinklage has locked down his next big gig. The formerGame of Thronesactor has been tapped to headlineThe Toxic Avenger reboot, which is currently in the works at Legendary Pictures. Macon Blair (I don’t Feel at Home In This World Anymore) has been tapped to direct the movie, which will reimagine the 1984 Troma flick for modern audiences.
According to multiple reports,Peter Dinklagehas closed a deal to star inThe Toxic Avenger. No other cast members have been revealed at this time. The reboot is being positioned as a subversion of the superhero genre, with comparisons being made toDeadpool. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, who directed the original, are on board as producers. A logline for the movie has been revealed as well, which reads as follows.
“When a struggling everyman ispushed into a vat of toxic waste, he is transformed into a mutant freak who must go from shunned outcast to underdog hero as he races to save his son, his friends and his community from the forces of corruption and greed.”
The Toxic Avengerwas one of the early hits for Troma, a studio known for making ultra-low-budget genre movies. The company was co-founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in the 70s and is still active to this day. Largely thanks to a long, successful run as a midnight movie, the 1984 flick spawned several sequels. 1989’s The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, as well as 2000’s Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, followed. Additionally, the property was adapted as an animated series and even a stage musical. Marvel Comics also produced a series based on the character. With that in mind, Legendary has every reason to think this could work as a modern superhero franchise.
Peter Dinklage has stayed quite busy outside of his work onGame of Thrones. Some of his other credits includeX-Men: Days of Future Past,Avengers: Infinity War,PixelsandThe Boss. Dinklage has also starred in several acclaimed indie movies in recent years includingI Think We’re Alone Now,Three Christs,I Care a Lotand HBO’sMy Dinner With Herve. He has also had luck with voice acting, lending his talents toThe Angry Birds Movie,Ice Age: Continental Driftand, more recently,The Croods: A New Age.
Macon Blair is known as an actor, having starred in movies such asGreen Room,Gold,Hold the DarkandSwamp Thing. Blair made his feature directorial debut withI Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and ultimately sold to Netflix, debuting in 2017. There is no word yet on how soon production could begin onThe Toxic Avenger. There is also no indication as to when it might be released, be it in theaters or on a streaming service. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details on the project are made available. This news comes to us viaDeadline.
