New Jersey lent its signature superhero to the city of Chicago for a St. Patrick’s Day greening.
The green-faced Toxie, aka the Toxic Avenger, could be seen holding his trusty mop on a boat ride down the Chicago River, which had been dyed green for festivities in the city March 15.
The Toxic Avenger may be chiefly associated with The Garden State, but the Chicago visit is part of promotions for the upcoming reimagining of the character in the new “Toxic Avenger” movie, set to hit theaters August 29.
The Toxic Avenger is coming to theaters this summer.Cineverse
Jersey guy Peter Dinklage stars in the title role in director Macon Blair’s take on the classic character from the glorious 1984 B-movie set and filmed in New Jersey.
Dinklage, a four-time Emmy winner (for “Game of Thrones”) who grew up in Mendham, plays janitor Winston Gooze in the film.
Gooze undergoes a metamorphosis to become the Toxic Avenger after being exposed to toxic material.
He takes on “ruthless corporate overlords” in the new film, which also stars Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Jacob Tremblay (“Room”) and Taylour Paige (“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” “Zola”).
Peter Dinklage as the Toxic Avenger, aka Toxie.Yana Blajeva | Legendary | Cineverse
Blair’s (“I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore”) new “Toxic Avenger” premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2023, but there was no word on a theatrical release until recently.
The original “Toxic Avenger,” directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, is set in fictional Tromaville, New Jersey.
The film follows the journey of Melvin Ferd Junko III (Mark Torgl), a bullied gym janitor who falls into toxic green ooze and becomes Toxie, a ruthless killing machine out for vengeance.
Jersey's own Peter Dinklage takes on the role of the beloved New Jersey superhero.Jamie McCarthy | WireImage; Troma Entertainment
Mitch Cohen played the superhero monster-man, who was voiced by Kenneth Kessler.
Many Toxic Avenger films have followed the first. Kaufman and Herz, who founded Troma Entertainment, are producers of the new movie.
A first look at Elijah Wood’s character, the villain Fritz Garbinger, revealed a character with dark rings around his eyes and gnarly teeth.
The film is a reimagining of the character from the 1984 B-movie classic.Yana Blajeva | Legendary | Cineverse
A photo of Garbinger brought to mind Danny DeVito’s Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin from “Batman Returns” (1992). Much more Gollum than Frodo Baggins, Wood’s character in “The Lord of the Rings.”
Fritz Garbinger is the brother of Bob Garbinger, a corporate boss played by Kevin Bacon.
Here’s a teaser trailer from the film’s initial festival rollout in 2023, which echoes some of the gory, bloody kills in the original film.
Caution: Video contains violence and profanity
Stories by Amy Kuperinsky
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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.