‘Toxic Avenger’ Remake: Will Arnold Schwarzenegger Take on Troma?

What’s weirder, that the former Governor of California might appear in “The Toxic Avenger,” or that there’s a 21st Century remake of the freaky underground favorite in the works?

The original “Toxic Avenger” was a low-budget, gross-out comedy about a nerd who mutates into a gnarly superhero and takes on the bad guys of Tromaville, NJ. Although it’s not clear which part Arnold Schwarzenegger is in talks to play, this is indubitably an odd move for the former Terminator. Heck, it’s an odd move to reboot this for today’s audience, even with an updated story: to wit, “an average teen 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.”

Writer and director Lloyd Kaufman and his studio, Troma Entertainment, have been an endless font of modern B-movie madness since the ’70s. Movies like “Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead” and “Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.” have been delighting weirdoes around the world, but none of the Troma titles have been particularly successful. Then again, when Hollywood is busy conjuring movies about board games, maybe something this strange is just what the doctor ordered.

“Hot Tub Time Machine” director Steve Pink is sharing screenwriting duties with Daniel C. Mitchell. Pink, who also wrote “Grosse Pointe Blank” and “High Fidelity,” will direct. All of Pink’s most famous movies star John Cusack, so let’s hold out a tiny spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, he’ll do a small cameo.

In the meantime, Schwarzenegger has a busy dance card. He’s taken on the role of group executive editor for Muscle & Fitness and Flex magazines, and has a number of other movies in development.

[via THR]