The 1984 horror/comedy/action cult classic The Toxic Avenger is getting a redo. Deadline reports that Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink has been selected to helm the project. Pink, who also wrote High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank, will team with his Dead Last collaborator Daniel C. Mitchell.
If you haven’t seen the original, it follows “a mop-wielding simpleton named Melvin, whose trusting ways made him easy prey for gym thugs who tossed him into a vat of toxic waste. The transformation into Toxie didn’t help his complexion, but gave him rippling muscles to wreak havoc on New Jersey polluters. The byproduct was that despite his misshapen appearance, the chicks finally dig Melvin after a lifetime of being ignored.”
Pink also has big plans, saying in a statement, “The Toxic Avenger is exactly what the country–wait, that’s not big enough–what the world needs right now.” Hot Tub Time Machine was a solid 80’s throwback, so it will be interesting to see if Pink can recreate a similar feeling or if he will update it. One can remember the greatness in the original 1984 trailer below.
Were you a fan of the original? Do you think Steve Pink is a good fit?