Originally, there were reports that the Toxic Avenger reboot, which opened Fantastic Fest in 2023, was unreleaseable due to its insane gore. Nearly two years later, the movie is finally gearing up for release, with an August 29, 2025, theatrical debut.
The film, a reboot of the original cult classic movie of the same name, follows Winston Gooze, played by Peter Dinklage (who is currently crushing it in Dexter: Resurrection), a janitor down on his luck who ends up in a horrible, toxic accident that turns him into Toxie—an unexpected hero for the people.
The Direct spoke with Toxic Avenger director Macon Blair, who opened up about early reports that the movie's gore played heavily into why it had taken this long to release. Addressing those reports, Blair noted that "those headlines are inaccurate."
Blair admitted that at one point, he "wanted to go out and correct" those voices on the interview. However, he noted that you "never want to get into sort of internet correction conversations," because generally speaking, "Nobody wins." The director described the situation as "a game of telephone."
The director further noted that the movie handles its violence well, being " a comedy that, incidentally, has a couple of pockets of some gore in it for laughs." They were aiming for the overall tone and feel of the movie to be akin to "a live-action cartoon," one that had real "emotional stakes, but the physical stakes are very silly.
The Direct also spoke with Toxic Avenger producer Lloyd Kaufman, a filmmaker responsible for the original films, who had plenty to add about the new movie's gore, how the reboot compares to the original, and plenty more. The full interview can be read below. The Toxic Avenger hits theaters on August 29, 2025.
Toxic Avenger Director & Producer on the Film's Gore
"It Is a Comedy That, Incidentally, Has a Couple of Pockets of Some Gore In It For Laughs."
- The Direct: "Over the last few years, there have been supposed rumors that this movie was supposedly unreleasable because of how violent it is. Did the amount of violence that you have in the movie ever give any issues at any point in the process in any way?"
Macon Blair: No. And I don't know, I'm—I was sort of not involved with, I was kept updated about the distribution process, but I was not involved. I would be very—I think those headlines are inaccurate. I would be very surprised if somebody said this is too violent to release. It's not. It's a comfortable R-rating. But there's stuff out there.
All the 'Terrifier' movies, just for starters, are in a different fucking universe in terms of the gore score. And that's not what we were going for, by the way. But that's also, it's just not what it is. And honestly, I got real, like, I kind of wanted to go out and correct, you know, you never want to get into sort of, internet correction conversations. Nobody wins. But I wanted to be like, Hey, dudes, this is not a bloodbath gore score. It is a comedy that, incidentally, has a couple of pockets of some gore in it for laughs.
But if you're going into it expecting it to compete with 'Terrifier' or whatever else on that level, it's not going to work. That's just not what it is. So I think that was a game of telephone where it was stuck not being released, and it happened to have gore in it, and somewhere along the line, somebody said it's not getting released because of the gore. I really don't think that was the case.
- The Direct: "One of the biggest elements of the film is its insane gore. Can you talk a little bit about how utilizing that element of the story really enhances the experience that you were trying to deliver to audiences?"
Macon Blair: There were a lot of references, and a lot of sort of, like, this is how we're describing what we're going for. And one of the big ones, maybe the biggest one, was a live-action cartoon. And so, you know, you think about stuff like, you know, Itchy and Scratchy, or Tom and Jerry, or whatever, where those sorts of violent gags are used as a punchline, and that was sort of how we were approaching this. It's definitely not meant to be, like nobody's taking this seriously...
I mean, there are emotional stakes, but the physical stakes are very silly. I think another one that we talked about a lot was just the sort of 80s comedies from the Zucker Abrams crew, like 'Naked Gun' and 'Top Secret' and stuff like that, where the gags are very physical, and so it was all meant to be used for the purposes of getting a laugh.
Lloyd Kaufman: Blair has gotten away from the cartoon and made a movie that will touch you, entertain you and educate you, to some extent, especially young people who probably are not thinking about some of the issues raised, and people who have been bullied and people who do have family problems and people who are different, 'Toxic,' eventually deals with all that.
And the freedom to talk, to express yourself, which is being curbed by Trump and his gang. They're trying to control culture. So I think something to get people's attention, and sometimes the gore... To some extent, I think 'Toxic Avenger' is going to wake people up. And sometimes a little bit of that is to show craziness and violence and [that] cartoon feel, you know, slapstick kind of stuff.
How the Toxic Avenger Wanted This Reboot To Function Compared to the Original
This Film Has "Its Own Sort of Story In Terms of Plot Elements and Biographical Details."
- The Direct: "How did you want this film to function compared to the original?"
Macon Blair: I wanted it to be its own sort of story in terms of plot elements and biographical details. In other words, it's sort of like we're talking comic books. So, if you've got Robin and you know, you've got Dick Grayson and Jason Todd—but it's all Robin, so it's another version of 'Toxic Avenger.' He's got some commonalities, the tutu, the mop the eye, but he's a new guy with new circumstances and a new story.
But what I really wanted to do was have it feel consistent in terms of tone and sense of humor and sort of sensibility with the original, because I feel like that's the type of thing that when people are fans of the original and they're telling other people to watch it, what they're talking about is not the plot beats or it's not, you know, the specifics of of the character.
I don't think it's more like, this thing was fucking crazy. He's fighting people with a mop. It's hilarious. And it's that tone and the vibe that people are excited about. So, I wanted to be mindful that we preserved that as much as possible.
Lloyd Kaufman: Macon Blair took the project and made it his own and did a wonderful job... Michael Herz and the whole Troma team, in fact, people who work for us have seen it three times. I don't know where they got it, but they keep watching. They watched it numerous times, and they loved it. So, I think it's going to be really wonderful. It's for everybody. Yes, it's unrated, but...
I think everybody can enjoy it. It's not just a clown running around with blood all over the place. It's got political content, sociological content. It deals with the underdog... It has pathos. Obviously. Peter Dinklage, playing Toxie, is a brilliant to me...
Macon has got everything that should be in Toxic Avenger and much more. And it deals with sociological drug problems, the familial problems, being a little janitor, the whole thing... you'll have emotion when you see the movie.
Designing a New Toxie for a Modern Age
"It Was a Lot of Trial and Error."
- The Direct: "I want to talk to you a little bit about the process of finalizing the design for that for the titular Toxic Avenger, and then, you know, not only figuring it out on paper, but then going about and realizing it practically?"
Macon Blair: It was a lot of trial and error. We definitely looked at the original makeup for the first movie, and then we were looking at the softer versions that you would see in like the 'Toxic Crusaders' cartoon. And the initial round of designs we did with some artists was very decayed, messy, and inhuman. And there was something that wasn't quite right there.
And then we took it in another direction, where he looked a little more undead, a little more like a zombie who's very pale, kind of black and white. And what we ultimately arrived at was the idea that we it was important to be able to—and we hadn't cast Peter Dinklage at this point—But what we realized was that, like whoever that we're casting to play the Winston part, that their physical features need to be visible through the makeup when he transforms, and it's his voice needs to be consistent and his face needs to be consistent so you have this emotional connection with the guy that you spent 30 minutes with at the top of the movie.
So, that's what we ultimately landed on. And when we did cast Peter, and he's got these very distinct facial features, kind of like sharp cheeks, and we were able to sort of take out his features and incorporate them into the design of Toxie. And that's when it started to feel kind of correct to me.
Lloyd Kaufman: This is all Macon Blair. I sent notes a few times, and Macon was smart enough to ignore all my notes. So it's all their production, Louisa, who did a lot of work inside the 'Toxic Avenger,' so Peter didn't have to go in there as much. She was great... It was all the Macon Blair. I would say he was in total control. I didn't see any anybody else making those kinds of decisions.
Sequel Desires for This New Toxic Avenger Reboot
"We've Had Discussions About What That Could Possibly Entail..."
- The Direct: "The original movie went on and had several sequels. So, what is the intention here? Have you already thought about what a sequel could look like?"
Macon Blair: I've thought about it. There are a couple of little things that don't mean anything. They're just sort of like winks to the audience, Troma fans for like Newcomb High, and some like suggestions of a larger kind of Troma-esque universe that could move out from this movie. But I haven't really thought about it in terms of anything concrete other than. And, like, some broad ideas about what we would want to do and what we would want to avoid...
I think it all just sort of depends on how this one lands, and if there's any appetite for a sequel. And if there's not, then, like, I'm very, very happy with it being this self-contained thing. If somebody were to say we really want to do a sequel, then we've had discussions about what that could possibly entail, but I'm kind of at a wait-and-see right now.
Lloyd Kaufman: I think it's up to making Blair and the gang. We are on to other things, and I think we handed Toxie's mop officially over to Macon at the San Diego Comic Con. And I think it's making Macon 'Toxic Avenger' at this point. So, you know, we're still here... I can't wait for Macon Blair's 'Toxic Avenger,' because I think it's going to be a huge hit. And maybe, you know, maybe we can make more movies.
Fans of superheroes should also check out The Direct's interview with Peacemaker star Steve Agee, who spoke about the show's new dance intro and the insanity of Season 2's final three episodes.
