‘Sausage Party’ co-director Conrad Vernon is to helm ‘The Toxic Avenger’ remake.
The 46-year-old filmmaker – whose other credits include the ‘Shrek’ series, ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ – is going to be responsible for bringing the grotesque schlock superhero into the 21st century.
The original film was released by Troma Entertainment – famous for specialising in B-movies – in 1984 and the violent comedy/horror became a cult classic after attracting audiences by running in midnight cinemas in the US.
It eventually spawned three film sequels, a stage musical production and a children’s TV cartoon.
The story follows weedy health club janitor Melvin Ferd – played by Mark Torgl in the original – from Tromaville, New Jersey, who is bullied by the muscle-bound customers until he falls into a drum of toxic waste which turns him into a deformed super-sized creature with super-strength who becomes a vigilante determine to wipe out the criminals in the fictional town.
‘The Toxic Avenger’ was gory, comedic and contained exaggerated violence but Vernon’s version is set to be more grounded in reality.
Bob Cooper and Richard Saperstein’s Storyscape Entertainment are bringing the character back to the big screen and Sapersteinwill act as a producer along with Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road and Charlie Corwin.
Mike Arnold and Chris Poole – whose previous work as a duo came on ‘Archer and The Grackle’ – are re-working a screenplay originally created by Steve Pink and D.C. Mitchell.
Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Films, creators of the original franchise, will act as executive producers.
Sharing his excitement about landing the job, Vernon said: "The opportunity to re-imagine a favourite cult-classic from my high school years is an honour. Toxie is an underground icon. My favourite kind."
Conrad Vernon to direct Toxic Avenger remake
