Arnold Schwarzenegger is lining up another lead role, and this one’s a bit of a departure from his hardened characters of late.  The Governator is in talks to star in director Steve Pink’s (Hot Tub Time Machine) remake of the 1984 cult classic The Toxic Avenger.  The original film featured nerdy janitor Melvin (Mark Torgl) being tossed into a barrel of nuclear waste by a pack of bullies.  He then became the hideous, yet superpowered Toxic Avenger (Mitch Cohen).  Interestingly, Schwarzenegger is looking to play a character that is not the titular avenger, so don’t expect some major makeup job in Schwarzenegger’s future.  He’ll take on the role of “The Exterminator” (clever), a former black ops agent, who trains Toxie to use his powers for good. Together they take on the lurking menace created by the polluters, and the polluters themselves.

John Travolta has previously been rumored for the role of the actual Toxic Avenger, but there’s no word on his involvement at the moment.  Pink wrote the script with Daniel C. Mitchell, and the pic is eyeing a fall production start date.  Schwarzenegger most recently filmed David Ayer’s actioner Ten and will next be seen opposite Sylvester Stallone in the prison break pic Escape Plan later this year.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer for the original Toxic Avenger and to read the press release.

Is John Travolta about to pick up the mop and slop bucket in the leading role of The Toxic Avenger remake?  Probably not, but that’s the rumor of the day.  The original 1984 film from Troma Entertainment featured nerdy janitor Melvin (Mark Torgl) being tossed into a barrel of nuclear waste by a pack of bullies.  He then became the hideous, yet superpowered Toxic Avenger (Mitch Cohen).  The remake, directed by Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine) from a script by Daniel C. Mitchell, has apparently been re-imagined as a family-friendly, pro-environment PG-13 flick (completely different from the original B-film that was filled with nudity, sex and grotesque violence).  Travolta simply does not fit as the hero of this picture, but hit the jump for what role may suit him, along with the synopsis and trailer for the original film.

Director Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine) has signed on to direct the upcoming remake of The Toxic Avenger.  The 1984 Troma cult classic told the unforgettable story of Melvin, a nerdy mop boy, who becomes a deformed superhero (and ladies man) after falling into some vats of toxic waste.  According to Deadline, Pink will be writing the film with Daniel C. Mitchell.  Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, who created the original film, will be coming on board as producers.  As a person who grew up watching the original the film, I have to say that it’ll be interesting to see if Pink will keep the film’s over the top gore, nudity, and crude humor, or if he will decide to make the film into some kind of superhero satire/spoof.  You can hit the jump to read the plot synopsis and watch the trailer for the original film