If you were a kid in the ’80s or early ’90s, then you may remember how we were graced with animated series and toylines pertaining to franchises we were probably too young for. Seriously, my toy box included the likes of RoboCop, the Terminator, Rambo and even some of the Toxic Crusaders, a child-friendly take on Troma’s cult classic, The Toxic Avenger.
So, whether you’ve been on board with the live action flicks from the get-go, or saw one as a kid thinking it’d be like its animated counterpart and were instead treated to an unforgettable learning experience, you may be thrilled to learn that Toxic Avengers 5 is in the earliest stages of development – even if a remake of the original is said to be on the way as well.
When recently sitting down with SFX Magazine, Troma’s own Lloyd Kaufman had this offer regarding the project’s status:
“It’s definitely coming. The problem is that we need to get our new Troma movie, Shakespeare’s Shitstorm, which is our version of The Tempest, out into the cinemas and on DVD so that we can get some money together for it. This is a very ambitious Toxic Avenger movie. The script is complete and it will focus on Toxie’s two children who, 20 years after part four, have all grown up. And one has mutated into a very strange being [laughs].”
Well, I guess it’s good that the events depicted in 2000’s Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV will be followed up on. Beyond that, Kaufman had this to tide over fans:
“Fans can expect more low-budget action with the usual Troma mix of girls, guts and gruesome gore. Toxie is going to go to Chernobyl in this one. It will cost just $100,000 – but I think it is the best one yet. I have worked with [Guardians of the Galaxy director] James Gunn and the script we have for The Toxic Avenger 5 is the finest I have read. It shows Toxie fighting the bureaucrats and the obnoxiousrich people who are harming the people of Tromaville.”
Upon reading the above statements, you may wonder what all this means for the long-gestating remake we mentioned earlier. Well, believe it or not, the studio still wishes to get that off the ground, too:
“Conrad Vernon, who directed Shrek 2 and Sausage Party is attached,” he told SFX. “I have spoken to him and he knows all the Troma movies and is a big fan. I think he really understands The Toxic Avenger and I believe he will bring a cartoon sensibility to it. This is his first live-action movie and we hope it gets rolling soon.”
Given the information presented, we’re guessing the journey to Toxic Avenger 5 seeing the light of day will be a marathon, and not a sprint. Regardless, we’ll keep you posted along the way.