Last month, we reported about how Macon Blair’s remake of “The Toxic Avenger,” starring Peter Dinklage, was deemed “too out there” and “unreleasable.”
Blair’s film, rated R for strong violence, screened at a handful off genre film festivals — the reviews have it at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film still has no distribution. Word is that if the film does get picked up it would most likely go straight to VOD or streaming.
Now we have Dinklage himself, during a recent interview with ComicBook, stating that he has no clue if the film will ever see the light of day.
"No, I'm not a producer on it. I don't know," Dinklage replied when asked if he knew anything about The Toxic Avenger's release date. "I do want it to get out there into the world because it was a really big hit at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and Macon Blair, the writer/director who is also in “The Thicket” ... He's incredible. He's one of my favorite people and favorite artists. So hopefully it will have its day in the toxic sun."
“The Toxic Aveneger” had its first public screening in September2023 at Fantastic Fest, it went on to also screen at Beyond Fest and the Sitges Film Festival. That’s about it. I’m actually surprised it didn’t show up at the Fantasia Film Festival this past July.
A teaser was released for the film in October 2023. Ever since then, it’s been crickets, we haven’t heard anything about 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.