Julia Davis will be joining the cast of Legendary’sThe Toxic Avenger reboot. Davis is one of the most acclaimed voices in UK comedy, as a two-time BAFTA winner and eight-time nominee. She is known for creating and starring in the BAFTA-winning comedy series,Sally4Everfor Sky Atlantic and HBO. Davis also won a BAFTA for writingHunderby, which she also starred in. Besides that, she also created and starred in several series, including:Camping,Human Remains, andNight Night. Currently, Davis is being repped by Clair Maroussas at Independent Talent.
For those who don’t know,The Toxic Avengerwas a low-budget action-comedy that followed a 98 pound weakling named Melvin, who, after a cruel prank, ends up jumping into a cauldron of toxic waste and becomes the title character, a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength with a drive to destroy evil. Originally conceived as a horror film set in a health spa, the final product bore a more significant resemblance to a superhero movie.
Following the film’s success, Toxie, the main character, became Troma Entertainment’s mascot, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the company began working on a sequel. However, since they ended up shooting so much extra footage, the sequel was split into two movies, both of which were released in 1989, titledThe Toxic Avenger Part IIandThe Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie. With that said, it’s worth noting that in the opening narration of 2000’Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, which Stan Lee did, the fourth installment is the true sequel because the other two were rotten.
Beyond that, the hard R-rated movie was turned into a children’s cartoon called theToxic Crusadersin 1991, which only lasted for one season. Its environmental message was similar toCaptain Planet and the Planeteers.Toxic Crusadersalso became a video game in 1992. A stage musical version of the movie was released in 2008. A Marvel Comic version of the product was also published from 1991 to 1992.
JoiningJulia Davisin the film is actor Elijah Wood. Though multiple sites, including this one, reported that Wood would be playing the main villain, that role will instead beplayed by Kevin Bacon. He previously collaborated with director Macon Blair, who will be directing the remake, in the 2017 Grand Jury Award-winning filmI Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. He also recently appeared in the much-acclaimed comedy horror filmCome to Daddy, which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Wood is being repped by Clair Maroussas at Independent Talent.
The remake of the 1984 cult classic will have Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz serve as producers. Kaufman and Herz have previously collaborated on directing the first three films in the franchise, though Kaufman went solo on directingCitizen Toxie. Besides Davis,other members of the remake’s castwill include Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, and Elijah Wood. The news of Davis' involvement and Wood’s role was first published byDeadline.
