“Hasta la vista, Toxie!”

Variety is reporting that Arnold Schwarzenegger is in talks to star in a remake of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz’s 1984 cult classic, The Toxic Avenger.

For those unfamiliar with Troma Entertainment’s slice of low-budget sleaze-cheese, The Toxic Avenger tells the story of Melvin Ferd III, a 98-pound weakling who works as a janitor at a health club in Tromaville, New Jersey. A gang of beefcake bullies toss the denim-clad poindexter into a drum of toxic waste, transforming him into a hideously deformed monster of superhuman size and strength: the Toxic Avenger!

Schwarzenegger won’t be playing the titular role in the remake, but Variety says that he will be playing “another lead role.” Directed and co-written by Steve Pink (Hot Tube Time Machine), The Toxic Avenger reboot will be a less raunchy and more “family-friendly” adaptation, similar to the Toxic Crusaders animated series, which featured Toxie as the leader of a team of mutated superheroes who fought against evil alien polluters.

Schwarzenegger will play The Exterminator (I see what you did there, Steve Pink!), a former black ops specialist who trains Toxie to use his new toxic powers to fight polluters and mutant monstrosities.

Pink, whose screenwriting credits include Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity, is working on the screenplay with newcomer Daniel C. Mitchell. You can see Schwarzenegger this Fall in Escape Plan, set to hit theaters on September 13.

As a kid I loved Toxic Crusaders, as well as the Swamp Thing animated series – they had some truly fantastic toys! As a big fan of Hot Tub Time Machine, I’m eager to see how Pink approaches Troma’s B-movie classic. I’m hoping it stays true to its low-budget roots and uses makeup and practical effects to bring Toxie’s gruesome getup to life.

[Source: Variety]