Following our first (obscured) glimpse of Peter Dinklage as "Toxie" in the upcoming remake of The Toxic Avenger, Legendary Entertainment (via EW) has released another batch of promo stills featuring the rest of the movie's principal characters.
In addition to Taylour Paige as JJ Doherty, an investigative reporter turned vigilante detective, and Jacob Tremblay as Toxie's stepson Wade, we have a first look at the villains of the piece in Kevin Bacon's corporate overlord Bob Garbinger, and his freakish-looking brother Fritz, played by Elijah Wood.
Director Macon Blair describes the Lord of the Rings star's look as "sort of Riff Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Danny DeVito Penguin mixed together."
"The look came about by discussions I had with our designers and with Elijah himself," he continues. "I wanted it to feel like a Peter Sellers type of performance where he just goes invisible. The idea is that you forget that it's the Elijah that you know from Lord of the Rings or anything else."
The stills also spotlight Dinklage as a pre-transformation Winston Gooze in a tutu! Check them out at the link below.
“While the original film (which premiered in 1984 – almost 40 years ago!) followed the fate of Melvin Ferd Junko III (Mitch Cohen), who goes from zero to toxic hero in a case of bullying gone awry, Macon Blair’s contemporary take follows a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength all his own.
Peter Dinklage stars as downtrodden janitor Winston Gooze who, after falling into a vat of toxic waste, becomes none other than The Toxic Avenger. This timely reimagining is up to its eyeballs in environmental themes as Winston goes up against the evil forces of greed and corruption to save his son, his friends, and his community. Even as this story exists on its own terms, the spirit undoubtedly remains connected to the original. Troma fans old and new will be pleased to know that the film has been rated “R” for violence and gore – as per Troma tradition.”
The Toxic Avenger was first introduced in the 1984 movie of the same name from indie studio Troma Entertainment, and has since gone on to achieve cult status with several sequels, a comic book series and even a short-lived 1991 children's animated show called The Toxic Crusaders.
The movie will have its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. No official release date has been announced.