Emmy-winning actor Peter Dinklage, known for portraying Tyrion Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones, will star as the lead in The Toxic Avenger's reboot.
Dinklage will portray Melvin Ferd, a man who goes from being a harassed janitor to Toxie, a deformed superhuman vigilante in Tromaville ripping out evil-doers' guts, in Legendary's remake of 1984's cult-classic/horror-comedy, as reported by Deadline.
The Toxic Avenger debuted in 1984 from Troma Entertainment -- a studio well known for its vast collection of B-movie horror and thrills. Initially, it was hard to pin down the tone of this film as it escalated its violence and wackiness as soon as Melvin fell into a pile of toxic sludge that gave him superpowers. However, the film soon became a cult classic that spawned an entire franchise of films, a stage play and even a Marvel comic published from 1991-1992. The original film was co-directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz.
Although it remained uncertain for a while who would own the rights to this franchise, Legendary gained the rights to Toxie in 2018. Since then, the studio has been working on a modern remake of the film. Troma Entertainment's Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz will serve as producers, according to Deadline. Legendary previously reported that its take will be milder in tone and sources speculate that it might have a PG-13 rating instead of an R-rating. The project has been likened to 2016's Deadpool for how it'll handle its irreverent humor.
The reboot will be directed by Macon Blair (I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore) and focus on the underdog aspect of the story. Deadline reported that its plot will entail, "a struggling everyman is pushed 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."
Since Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage starred in Avengers: Infinity War, X-Men: Days of Future Past, My Dinner With Herve and the recent horror film, I Care Alot.
At this time, The Toxic Avenger does not have a release date set. No other casting decisions have been made at this time.
Source: Deadline