Macon Blair's ‘The Toxic Avenger' Deemed “Unreleasable”

Macon Blair’s remake of “The Toxic Avenger,” starring Peter Dinklage, released a teaser in October. Ever since, it’s been crickets, we haven’t heard much about it.

Blair’s film, rated R for strong violence, screened at a handful off genre film festivals — the reviews have been decent. However, the film still has no distributor.

I reached out to a producer, and they tell me the film “unreleasable” and that its commercial prospects are “too out there” for theatrical release. They believe that if the film does get picked up it would most likely go straight to VOD or streaming.

If it had great reviews then maybe the forecast would be a little rosier, but there isn’t much potential. It’s too niche. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it on Tubi a few years from now.

“The Toxic Aveneger” had its first public screening last September at Fantastic Fest, it went on to be seen at Beyond Fest and the Sitges Film Festival. That’s about it. I’m surprised it hasn’t even shown up in the just-announced Fantasia Film Festival lineup.

Filmmaker and producer Adam Masnyk recently went on Twitter/X and confirmed that the film has been deemed “not safe enough to market,” which he claims is why no one has stepped up to distribute it. When all is said and done, it could maybe even turn out to be “lost media.”

This is factual. This is what we — I work in movie product licensing — were officially told as well regarding it.

For those who aren’t familiar with the original 1984 film, which has a cult following, it tells the story of a janitor who gets exposed to toxic waste, turning him into a deformed superhero. He then goes on a mission of revenge.

Blair directed the 2017 Sundance winner “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore,” and “Toxic Avenger” is his sophomore follow-up. One has to wonder if we’ll ever get to see the film.