NEED TO KNOW
Peter Dinklage and Elijah Wood are bringing toxicity to San Diego Comic-Con.
Kicking off the first day of the convention in famed Hall H on Thursday, July 24, filmmakers behind The Toxic Avenger Unrated (in theaters Aug. 29) treated fans to an early glimpse of the long-awaited superhero reboot.
Dinklage, 56, who plays janitor Winston Gooze and voices the titular mutant vigilante he becomes after a poisonous freak accident, took the stage alongside costars Wood, 44, Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige, as well as writer-director Macon Blair and producer Lloyd Kaufman.
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Dinklage called taking on the iconic and slimy role of “mop-wielding superhero” Toxie “an easy yes” thanks to a personal hero: filmmaker and fellow panelist Kaufman, who created the original Toxic Avenger film of 1984, set in Dinklage’s native New Jersey.
“Environmental concerns are an ongoing thing, now more than ever,” said the Game of Thrones Emmy winner. “The great way to get into that is through satire, through the backdoor, through humor.”
Dinklage also said he was a “huge fan” of Blair. “This just felt so perfect and necessary and needed.”
Wood’s appearance in the new Toxic Avenger as Fritz Garbinger shocked fans when the film’s trailer premiered in September 2023. Following a Fantastic Fest premiere that year, Blair’s film was stalled due to difficulties in securing a distributor. Cineverse and Iconic Events Releasing will release an unrated version of the film beginning Aug. 29.
“There’s a beating heart in there,” said Wood when asked about playing the apparently villainous Fritz. Overall, he added, “I love the horror genre because of the possibilities. This movie is filled to the brim with ideas, and fun and playing with the medium.”
Legendary Pictures
When asked for the most charming thing about the movie, Paige, 34, quipped, “That I’m in it.” The actress also gave the disclaimer that as a new mother she’s “three months postpartum… I can’t put sentences together.”
Tremblay, 18, plays Winston’s sulky son Wade. His character’s feelings toward his onscreen father differed from how he felt about Dinklage, he said, explaining, “I had to hold it together and just pretend I didn’t absolutely love this guy.”
Dinklage returned the favor, calling the cast “top-knotch,” including his body double, Luisa Guerreiro, who plays Toxie in a suit of prosthetics.
“Over 70% of my performance is not me,” he explained. “For me, that was an exercise in trust, in relinquishing something that was important to me… [Guerreiro] studied all my movements like a hawk and does a better me than I do.”
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The 1984 Toxic Avenger film, starring Mark Torgl in the lead role, was followed by three sequels, as well as a brief animated children’s TV show, a stage musical, a video game and a Marvel comic.
The Toxic Avenger Unrated, costarring Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne and Kevin Bacon, is in theaters Aug. 29. San Diego Comic-Con 2025 runs July 24 to 27.
