In one of the weirder products of the rumor-mill today, Twitch reports that John Travolta is attached to Steve Pink’s planned reboot/remake of the cult classic The Toxic Avenger. At this point, it’s unclear which part he’ll take on but according to Indie Wire, the actor is not in contention for the titular role.
The original Troma production is a cult classic of terrible proportions. It tells the story of Melvin, a mop-boy at a Health Club who ends up in a vat of toxic waste and becomes the Toxic Avenger. He’s ‘The First Super-Hero … From New Jersey,’ according to the poster’s tagline.
Despite inauspicious beginnings, the Toxic Avenger is probably the best known Troma character. He has already jumped around to Saturday morning cartoons and spawned three sequels, so it would not be all that weird to see him kicked up to the mainstream.
Director Steve Pink has some pretty solid films to his credit already: he directed Hot Tub Time Machine and wrote Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. As for Travolta, he has already appeared in the remake of John Water’s cult film Hairspray and he’s no stranger to bizarre parts, ever seen Battlefield Earth? So why not join a film like this?
If John Travolta is indeed going the way of that vat of toxic waste, I can only say that I am equal parts excited and horrified.
We’ll keep you posted and let you know when we hear what role the actor will be taking.
