Toxie on the Chicago River.
The hero of the upcoming horror comedy The Toxic Avenger celebrated St. Patrick’s Day weekend by taking a trip down the glowing green Chicago River.
Peter Dinklage stars as Winston Gooze, aka Toxie, a hero who was born out of a toxic accident in The Toxic Avenger, which is a remake of director-producers Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz’s low-budget Troma Entertainment classic from 1984.
The new version of The Toxic Avenger — which is set for an August release — also stars Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige.
Toxie aboard “The Toxic Avenger” pontoon on the Chicago River.
CineVerse —the indie studio behind the Terrifier movies — sent out a press release and photos on Monday to note that Toxie (although presumably not Dinklage in costume) was afloat on a pontoon as he made “his first appearance on the glowing green Chicago River over the weekend.”
“As you know, the Chicago River turns green every year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. But what’s in the dye in this time-honored tradition? We’ll never know, as the dye formula remains a closely kept secret,” the press release added.
Toxie in “The Toxic Avenger.”
What Is ‘The Toxic Avenger’ About?
Written and directed by Macon Blair, the official synopsis of The Toxic Avenger reads, “When a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze, is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger.
“Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son, his friends, and his community. In a world where greed runs rampant … justice is best served radioactive.”
After the original version of The Toxic Avenger became a cult hit, it turned into a franchise that spawned three sequels including 1989’s The Toxic Avengers Part II, 1989’s The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie and 2000’s The Toxic Avenger IV. Mitch Cohen originated the role of Toxie in the 1984 film.
The Toxic Avenger also spawned the G-rated cartoon comedy Toxic Crusaders, which ran for one 13-episode season in 1991. In addition, Marvel Comics published a Toxic Avenger comic book from 1991-92.
Per Music Theater International, The Toxic Avenger is also a stage musical that won an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The musical premiered in 2008 and won the Outer Critics Circle Award in 2009.
Legendary Pictures produced the new version of The Toxic Avenger, while Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz — who co-founded Troma Entertainment in 1974 — are aboard the film as producers. In addition to producing The Toxic Avenger franchise with Kaufman, Herz directed the first three Toxic Avenger movies.
The Toxic Avenger will be released in theaters in August.
