One of the new photos from Peter Dinklage's upcoming reimagining of the 1984 superhero black comedy movie gives first look at the 'LOTR' actor as Fritz Garbinger.
- Sep 21, 2023
AceShowbiz - First look at Elijah Wood in a role as he's never been seen before has been uncovered. The 42-year-old actor looks completely unrecognizable as he transforms into a villain in upcoming movie "The Toxic Avenger".
Making their way out via Entertainment Weekly, one of the new photos features the "Lord of the Rings" star as a villain named Fritz Garbinger. He sports blackened teeth, panda eyes and long tendrils of hair sprouting from his mostly bald pate while flashing a menacing smile in the image.
Macon Blair, who directed and wrote the movie, told the outlet that Wood's appearance was inspired in part by Riff Raff from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and Danny DeVito's Penguin from 1992's "Batman Returns" "mixed together."
"The look came about by discussions I had with our designers and with Elijah himself," he continued. "I wanted it to feel like a Peter Sellers type of performance where he just goes invisible. The idea is that you forget that it's the Elijah that you know from 'Lord of the Rings' or anything else."
Also unveiled in the images are Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze a.k.a. The Toxic Avenger, Jacob Tremblay as Wade, Taylour Paige as J.J. Doherty, and [c=Kevin Bacon as Bob Garbinge. There's also a picture of a scene that shows a group of evil-looking persons lurking on the street.
"The Toxic Avenger" is a reimagining of the 1984 low-budget cult classic about a janitor who becomes a disfigured, musclebound superhero after falling into a barrel of toxic waste. According to the official synopsis, "Even as this story exists on its own terms, the spirit undoubtedly remains connected to the original. Troma fans old and new will be pleased to know that the film has been rated 'R' for violence and gore - as per Troma tradition."
Troma Entertainment, which produced the original movie and also the remake, explained how the upcoming reboot will be different from the previous film, "While the original film (which premiered in 1984 - almost 40 years ago!) followed the fate of Melvin Ferd Junko III (Mitch Cohen), who goes from zero to toxic hero in a case of bullying gone awry, Macon Blair's contemporary take follows a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength all his own."
"Peter Dinklage stars as downtrodden janitor Winston Gooze who, after falling into a vat of toxic waste, becomes none other than The Toxic Avenger," it added. "This timely reimagining is up to its eyeballs in environmental themes as Winston goes up against the evil forces of greed and corruption to save his son, his friends, and his community."
Also starring Sarah Niles, Julia Davis, Julian Kostov, David Yow, Jane Levy, Jonny Coyne and Blair himself, the superhero black comedy movie will premiere as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on Thursday, September 21. A release date for the film has not been announced.
