“The Toxic Avenger” reboot finally saw a theatrical release Wednesday, Aug. 29, two years after its initial premiere in September 2023. The film, based on a 1984 cult classic of the same name, stars actors Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Taylour Paige and Jacob Tremblay, and is directed by Titan Alumn Macon Blair, who participated in an exclusive interview with Theogony.

The remake contains the slapstick charm and gory shockfactor of the original, though it steers differently with an increased budget and larger focus on character drama.

“It never occurred to me to try and remake it until I was approached by the studio that owned the rights to write the screenplay for a new version,” said Blair. “I felt like this could be a fun opportunity to revisit the kind of movies my friends and I liked when we were younger but on a larger scale.”

A jack of all trades, Blair has acted in, written, and directed in several notable projects, including “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” (2017), acting in and producing “Murder Party“ (2007), starring in “Blue Ruin” (2013), and having roles in “The Florida Project” (2017), “Logan Lucky” (2017), “The Hunt” (2020), and “Oppenheimer” (2023).

“I like all of those jobs because they’re creative in different ways,” said Blair. “I love acting because I can focus all my attention on just one character and let go of everything else going on. I love directing because you have control over—and responsibility for—every aspect of the story and how it’s presented to the audience. And I love writing because you’re the one who lays the foundation and can think about the story in purely creative terms, without having to solve production questions of budget or schedule or feasibility.”

However, Blair’s interest in moviemaking started right here in Alexandria. 

“I graduated [T.C. Williams High School] in 1993. My friends and I—including Jeremy Saulnier, who had a great movie called ‘Rebel Ridge’ come out on Netflix earlier this year—spent most of our free time making movies together [during high school,” said Blair. “After school and on weekends, we would get together and design scenes and shoot them in various spots around town. For English class, we made film versions of Beowulf and MacBeth for our semester projects. This was long before people had phones with cameras in them and so getting our hands on a VHS camera was an exciting thing. That same group of friends continued working together professionally after high school and those friendships and that experience of making movies when we were young absolutely led to being able to work in this industry today.”

The movie follows protagonist Winston Gooze, played by Peter Dinklage, who works as a janitor for the sketchy B.T.H. Pharmaceutical Corporation. In an accident where he’s caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, he is shot and falls into a vat of toxic waste. The waste revives him, transforming him into a superhuman, crime-fighting toxic hero dubbed “Toxie.” Toxified mop in hand, he takes down criminals who are in cahoots with the B.T.H. corporation, eventually defeating corrupt CEO Bob Garbinger, played by Kevin Bacon.

After a short battle between him and the CEO, Toxie and his journalist friend J.J., played by Taylour Paige, overpower the CEO. They then  expose B.T.H. for their unsafe manufacturing practices that generated massive amounts of toxic waste. Toxie is also able to reunite with his stepson, Wade, played by Jacob Tremblay, and they live happily ever after.

With its heightened sense of reality, “The Toxic Avenger” doesn’t take itself too seriously. At the same time, the themes presented were meaningful to everyday life. 

“On some level I think the movie might have a theme about having courage to stand up for what you believe in,” said Blair. “But also this is a totally ridiculous fantasy story and not to be taken seriously. Toxie solves his problems by hitting people with a radioactive mop so, yeah, it’s all for laughs.” 

Ultimately, while Blair has reached big time success during his years away from home, he is still a T.C. Titan at heart. 

“Here’s the deal about high school,” said Blair. “If you are having a great time, that’s fantastic, and cherish it, because this is actually a very short chapter in your life and there’s lots more to come. If you are having a hard time, hang in there, because this is actually a very short chapter in your life and there’s lots more to come.”

This story was originally published on Theogony on October 16, 2025.