The Toxic Avenger (franchise)
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The Toxic Avenger is a multimedia low-budget superhero comedy splatter film franchise originating with the 1984 film, The Toxic Avenger, and continuing through three film sequels, a stage musical production, a video game and a children's TV cartoon.[1] Two less successful sequels, The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, were filmed as one. Director Lloyd Kaufman realized that he had shot far too much footage for one film and re-edited it into two. A third independent sequel was also released, titled Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. An animated children's TV series spin-off, Toxic Crusaders, featured Toxie as the leader of a team of mutated superheroes who fought against evil alien polluters. The cartoon series was short-lived and quickly cancelled. In 2019, it was announced that Legendary Pictures would be making a reboot of the film, with original creators Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment serving as producers, and Macon Blair serving as writer and director.[2]
The films generally follow the heroic exploits of Melvin Ferd, a weak and skinny janitor turned into the deformed and mutated superhero, the Toxic Avenger, or "Toxie", by exposure to toxic chemicals. All films in the series were released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts and gruesome violence. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed Bleecker Street Cinemas in New York City in late 1985. It eventually came to be regarded as a cult classic.
The Toxic Avenger series
- The Toxic Avenger (film) – original cult film
- The Toxic Avenger Part II – sequel
- The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie – sequel
- Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV – sequel
- Related
- Toxic Crusaders – an animated spin-off
- All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from The Toxic Avenger, an autobiographical book
- The Toxic Avenger (musical) – musical based on the film The Toxic Avenger
References
- ^ Westbrook, Caroline (2003-11-07). "Lloyd Kaufman". Something Jewish. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ "Macon Blair to Direct and Write 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot for Legendary". Variety.