Deadline is reporting that Sausage Party co-director Conrad Vernon has signed on to helm the long-gestating remake of Troma’s cult 1984 superhero horror-comedy The Toxic Avenger. Mike Arnold and Chris Poole (Archer) are set to rewrite the screenplay, which was originally penned by Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine).
“The opportunity to re-imagine a favorite cult-classic from my high school years is an honor,” said Vernon. “Toxie is an underground icon. My favorite kind.”
A remake of the film was first announced back in 2010, and is described as “a more grounded and mainstream telling of the story”. It will reportedly follow an average teen who joins an environmental club to impress his crush. While doing some investigating at a waste plant, he is thrown into a tub of waste and transforms into a radioactive hero.
Previous rumours have linked both John Travolta and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the film, although neither of those castings materialised.