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Peter Dinklage to star in remake of The Toxic Avenger

By Dan Selcke

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Peter Dinklage poses in the press room during the 70th Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Peter Dinklage poses in the press room during the 70th Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) /
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Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage joins Legendary’s remake of cult classic The Toxic Avenger. Think of it like Deadpool, but grosser and cheaper.

Legendary is rebooting The Toxic Avenger, the gonzo superhero franchise from the ’80s that has nothing to do with Marvel’s The Avengers, although it can’t hurt its chances at the box office. And what’s more, they’ve tapped Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) to be in it.

The original Toxic Avenger was made by Troma Entertainment, known for their low-budget, B-grade flicks with campy concepts and gruesome violence. And this one fits right in there: it’s about a dude named Melvin who’s mercilessly picked on by ’80s-era bullies until he falls in a vat of nuclear waste, hulks out, and goes around the fictional town of Tromaville, New Jersey brutally killing bad guys, romancing a blind woman, and engaging in other assorted shenanigans.

Also his face is completely messed up. Deadpool has nothing on him.

Completely dismissed upon released, The Toxic Avenger had a second life as a cheesy midnight movie and went on to become a cult classic, with two sequels, a kids cartoon and even a stage musical to its name. Original directors and Troma founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz are producing the remake, to make sure the “integrity” of the movie is preserved.

We don’t know who Dinklage will be playing, but I’m assuming it’s Melvin pre-transformation. Or maybe he’s playing both versions of the character. That sounds like something a Troma movie would do; saves on hiring another actor.

I dunno about remaking cult classics like this. The fun of Toxic Avenger is that it has a sort of underground, make-it-up-as-we-go ramshackle quality to it. Can you replicate that with a big studio budget in the age of billion-dollar superhero tentpole movies? I guess we’ll find out whenever Legendary puts it out.

Next. Maisie Williams performs excerpts from the Green New Deal, and other stuff. dark

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h/t Deadline

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