LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Writer-director Macon Blair says he wanted his Toxic Avenger remake, in theaters Friday, to capture the feeling of the original 1984 film but with a brand new story.
The original, directed by Troma co-founders Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman, spawned three sequels, an animated series, and became the face of Troma Entertainment. That film follows Melvin Ferd, a bullied janitor who becomes the mutant vigilante superhero Toxic Avenger.
Blair's Toxic Avenger is Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), a single father who works as a janitor at a pharmaceutical company. Winston falls into the company's chemical waste and mutates into a green monster with superhuman strength.
In a recent Zoom interview, Blair, 50, discussed the important elements he wanted to retain in a modern Toxic Avenger.
"We wanted to recreate the vibe of the original and the tone," Blair said. "The actual biographical details, early on we felt like we should do something new and that just made it feel a little more personal to me, as an older person."
