The first teaser trailer for The Toxic Avenger has arrived and it's violent, weird, and unhinged...which we're guessing is pretty much everything you'd want from a movie featuring the beloved Troma Entertainment cult hero.
Despite receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews at film festivals in 2023 (the movie has 92% on Rotten Tomatoes), it's been a battle to get The Toxic Avenger into theaters and, when it is finally released this summer, it will be unrated.
Based on the jaw-dropping gore - that's not hyperbole; someone literally loses their jaw here - it's not exactly hard to see why this movie didn't receive an R or even NC-17 rating from the MPAA.
"The goal was to try to stay true to the vibe of Lloyd's original Jennifer Aspinall/Mitch Cohen creature," director Macon Blair recently said, "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."
"I love what Millenium FX did with it - part human, part mutant, all heart," he said of his take on a character who has starred in four movies, an animated series, a video game, a stage musical, and even a Marvel Comics series.
"It's practical effects. You can see all the goopy little boils and stuff like that," the filmmaker added. "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."
All signs point to The Toxic Avenger doing right by its title character and while it probably isn't a movie that will break box office records, there's every chance it will still be a hit thanks to horror lovers.
You can watch the first teaser for The Toxic Avenger in the player below (via FearHQ.com).
Written and directed by Macon Blair, Legendary Entertainment's The Toxic Avenger is a contemporary reimagining of Troma Entertainment’s 1984 cult classic of the same name created by Lloyd Kaufman. This film features a stellar ensemble, led by Peter Dinklage in the title role, that includes Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon.
The Toxic Avenger follows struggling everyman-janitor Winston Gooze, who is transformed by a horrible toxic accident into a new evolution of hero: The Toxic Avenger!
Now with super-human strength and wielding a glowing mop for his unconventional weapon, he must race against time to save his son and stop a ruthless and power-hungry corporate tyrant bent on harnessing toxic superpowers to strengthen his polluted empire.
The Toxic Avenger arrives in theaters on August 29.