Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, Toxic Avenger creator and writer Lloyd Kaufman provides details on failed reboot plans. Kaufman is the original creator of the Toxic Avenger character. He served as a writer, producer, and one of the two directors of the original The Toxic Avenger movie in 1984.

Now, Kaufman returns as a producer for the modern remake of The Toxic Avenger. Like the first film, this version tells the story of a janitor who turns into an unlikely hero after a horrific toxic waste accident. This time, Peter Dinklage is in the lead role with a supporting cast that includes Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, and Luisa Guerreiro.

In an interview with ScreenRant at SDCC, Kaufman speaks about past failed reboots of The Toxic Avenger. In the past, Kaufman said, people proposed that certain “wrestlers” could play the lead or that there could be a “Toxette Avenger,” casting a female lead instead.

However, Kaufman was satisfied by what Legendary eventually decided: casting Dinklage as the Toxic Avenger. He thinks this final project has “got guts” and “pathos.” Check out the full interview exchange below:

Ash Crossan:

Now, Lloyd, this has been a while in the making. What was important for you in this interpretation of what to preserve and what to modernize and what excited you about this?

Lloyd Kaufman:

I think the bravery of Legendary to focus on this guy, and to have the imagination to have Peter play The Toxic Avenger, when everybody was talking about Nick Namath or wrestlers doing it, or maybe women. God knows, maybe a Toxette Avenger or something. But you guys got this thing right. It’s terrific, it’s great, it couldn’t be better. It’s got guts, it’s got pathos. It takes risks. And how lucky is Troma, how lucky are we and you guys? Holy cow. I shouldn’t say holy cow. Sorry, an animal rights person [might get upset].

What This Means For The Toxic Avenger

Other Versions Might Have Been More Similar To The Original

Kaufman’s quote highlights how the Dinklage version is very different from some potential options for The Toxic Avenger. The original actor who played the character was Mitch Cohen, who has a starkly different stature and build than that of Dinklage. As such, Macon Blair’s version is going in a different direction.

In some ways, going with a big, strong man, such as a wrestler, would have been more similar to the original cult classic film. While Melvin is still an unlikely hero, his physical strength and power are palpable in The Toxic Avenger. Casting a wrestler would have put things in a similar direction.

Making gender-swapped versions of older stories is also fairly common nowadays. As such, it is no surprise that the Toxic Avenger team was considering making a Toxette Avenger at one point. Nonetheless, Kaufman seems thoroughly satisfied with the direction the team ended up going in.

Our Take On The Toxic Avenger Casting

Dinklage Is A Great Choice

Dinklage is a fantastic actor, and a great choice to carry a film like this. He can accomplish both gripping drama and character acting, which accomplish the duality of this film, as both a campy horror movie and one that elicits “pathos” as Kaufman promises.

If played correctly, there is also a way in which Dinklage’s physically short stature could really make the film more of an underdog story at heart in a way that the original versions were not. However Blair, Kaufman, and the team handled their film, it seems like an intriguing interpretation of The Toxic Avenger.