Mr. Melvin cut combines The Toxic Avenger Part II and Part III into one film

Fans have been waiting a long time to see writer/director Macon Blair’s remake of the Troma cult classic The Toxic Avenger (watch it HERE), which wrapped filming way back in 2021 and unveiled a teaser trailer near the end of 2023, around the time it had its world premiere screening – but we won’t have to wait much longer. At the start of the year, it was announced that Cineverse had acquired the distribution rights with the intention of giving the film an unrated wide release, and we’ve since learned that they’re aiming for an August 29th theatrical release. But before the new movie makes its way out into the world, Troma will be unveiling Mr. Melvin, a reconstruction of their original plan for their 1989 films The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie.

You see, The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie were written and shot to be just one movie, but directors Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz ended up with so much footage on their hands that they decided to turn it into two movies. They had plenty to work with: The Toxic Avenger Part II has a running time of 96 minutes (or 103 minutes in its directors’ cut form) and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie has a running time of 102 minutes. But now, our friends at Bloody Disgusting report that Andrew L. Miller and Adam Peltier have unearthed the original screenplay for the Toxic Avenger sequel and cut the existing footage together to match the script. Resulting in Mr. Melvin, which covers the events of Part II and Part III but wraps up in about two hours.

Mr. Melvin cut will premiere as part of Troma-Thon 2025 at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, Pennsylvania on July 18-19. Tickets to the event can be purchased at THIS LINK.

Kaufman told Bloody Disgusting, “I always dreamed of reconstructing The Toxic Avenger Part II and III into the single epic we originally intended before the MPAA sliced it up like week-old sashimi. I’m extremely delighted this is finally happening before I croak. … It’s a very happy ending, and I’m proud to say Michael and I are leaving our mop in toxeriffic hands.” Miller said, “Honestly, it looks fantastic. The story makes way more sense, and in my opinion it’s a much better film than the other two individually. We’re going to be premiering the Mr. Melvin cut at Troma-Thon this year at The Mahoning Drive-In, our annual drive-in Troma movie marathon, and I think it’s going to be a really great experience for people to see this cut for the first time at the drive-in, the way it should be!” Peltier added, “This isn’t a restoration. It’s a resurrection. We’re taking Parts II and III and making them whole—one film, one story, told the way it was originally intended. After this, you won’t want to watch them any other way. Lloyd Kaufman is a true auteur. His work is important. It has meaning. I hope Mr. Melvin gives people—especially the naysayers—another chance to actually look at what he’s been doing all these years. Because Mr. Melvin isn’t just a goofy sequel—it’s a complex piece of work. It’s as much about Toxie trying to figure out his place in the world once there’s no more crime to fight as it is about Lloyd grappling with what to do after creating a surprise cult hit. Both of them—Toxie and Lloyd—are facing the same question: do I sell out to the corporate overlords, or do I keep fighting the good fight?“

Are you interested in seeing Mr. Melvin? What do you think of The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie being cut together into one two-hour movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Mr. Melvin cut combines The Toxic Avenger Part II and Part III into one film appeared first on JoBlo.