The red band trailer is here—and a new scene reveals Toxie’s gruesome transformation ahead of the unrated film’s August 29 theatrical release.
Get ready for glowing sludge, decapitations, and corporate takedowns—The Toxic Avenger is back.
The cult classic gets a twisted new life this summer in the unrated reimagining of The Toxic Avenger, led by an all-star cast that includes Peter Dinklage, Taylour Paige, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon, and Jacob Tremblay. Ahead of its theatrical release on August 29, a red band trailer dropped alongside a newly revealed sneak peek from the film, offering fans a first look at Dinklage’s gnarly transformation into the radioactive vigilante known as Toxie.
Joining Dinklage is Taylour Paige (Zola, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F) as a detective-reporter determined to expose the film’s central villains: the Garbinger brothers.
Elijah Wood plays the pale, cane-wielding Fritz Garbinger, a grotesque corporate menace who looks like a cross between Gollum and DeVito’s Penguin. Kevin Bacon portrays his brother Bob Garbinger, the ruthless CEO who embodies the film’s anti-greed messaging.
Jacob Tremblay stars as Wade, Winston’s stepson, and is earning early praise from the cast and crew for his performance. Julia Davis also appears in a supporting role.
The film’s villains aren’t just boardroom bad guys—they’re backed by the Killer Nutz, a gang of assassins led by Fritz in a series of increasingly bizarre and violent encounters.
Directed by Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), the film reimagines the original 1984 Troma cult hit, which was directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz and set in the fictional town of Tromaville, New Jersey.
This updated version follows Winston Gooze (Dinklage), a widowed janitor who suffers a toxic accident that turns him into a mutated anti-hero bent on cleaning up corporate corruption—with a glowing green mop and tutu in hand.
The sneak peek, revealed during San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H panel, showcased the moment Winston transforms into the Toxic Avenger. It’s a chaotic, prosthetic-heavy sequence filled with bubbling flesh, neon ooze, and a physical metamorphosis that sets the tone for the violent heroics that follow.
Rather than using CGI, the filmmakers went practical. While Dinklage provides the voice and character of Winston, the majority of the physical performance as Toxie is portrayed by stunt performer Luisa Guerriero, who donned the full prosthetic suit during filming in Bulgaria.
The film leans hard into gore and camp but doesn’t abandon the heart that made the original a fan favorite. As Blair explained during the Comic-Con panel, the goal wasn’t to replicate the 1984 film beat-for-beat but to capture its “vibe”—equal parts absurdity, action, and off-kilter sweetness.
While the film is drenched in over-the-top violence—including a standout moment in which a character is ground up by a car engine—the creative team emphasized that it also carries emotional weight. Toxie’s journey isn’t just about revenge, but about protecting his son, friends, and community.
The reboot is a labor of love from longtime fans-turned-filmmakers. Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, who produced the original and has a cameo in the new version, called The Toxic Avenger a “fan-fueled” legacy project. That spirit carries over in the new film, with both old-school practical effects and a satirical edge aimed at modern-day greed and exploitation.
The Toxic Avenger premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2023 to strong early reactions. Now, after two years of anticipation, it will finally splash into theaters on August 29 with no rating—meaning audiences should prepare for unfiltered violence, profanity, and absurdity.
With a top-tier cast and a firm grip on the absurd, The Toxic Avenger looks ready to kick off a new era of gooey, gory superhero cinema.
The Toxic Avenger opens UNRATED in theaters August 29.
Grab your mop. Show the f*ck up.