Kevin Bacon definitely isn’t a stranger to horror or being the bad guy since he did end up being one of the many that fell victim to the killer in the first Friday the 13th, and he did star in the movie Tremors with Fred Ward and Michael Gross. He’s also starred in X-Men: First Class as Sebastian Shaw and RIPD with Ryan Reynolds, so he knows how to play the part of a villain. Any mention of Elijah Wood as the villain for the reboot of The Toxic Avenger appears to have been in error since it’s been established that Bacon will be taking on the role, likely as an over the top type of villain that will end up being the epitome of bad, and who won’t care. Peter Dinklage is set to play the titular role, which is different considering his stature. It could be interesting all the same since the movie has been stuck in development hell for so long that it’s likely that many people thought it would never get made. At the moment there’s no release date for the movie, but filming should begin any time if it hasn’t already.
It’s easy to wonder that if this kind of a role had been brought to him years ago if Bacon would have even considered it since there have been movies that he’s felt a certain way about in his career, Tremors being one of them. A lot of actors tend to wonder if some of the movies they’ve done are bound to ruin them or be good for their career, but it was a bit of a surprise to hear that Kevin didn’t think much of Tremors back in the day. The movie actually made him and Fred Ward look pretty good as a pair of wisecracking handymen that stumbled across a zoological find that would have been one of the most important discoveries of the century, but for one reason or another Bacon didn’t feel all that strongly about the movie’s chances. It’s true that it became more popular once it hit the shelves, as it swiftly became a cult classic. But in recent years it’s been seen that Kevin might actually want to keep trying for another chance at creating a Tremors series.
But getting back to The Toxic Avenger, it’s likely that time and age, as well as success, have tempered Kevin quite a bit since he’s taken on a number of movies over the years that one might not have thought he would ever star in. This is the star of Footloose after all, and while he’s been in several movies that didn’t really do that well and have kept him visible but not always on an upward climb, he’s been able to turn in a few great performances even if he’s had to sign on to less than memorable movies to do so. Bacon is the kind of actor that one can depend on to, well, just be himself a lot of the time, which is great since he’s such a versatile individual that even if some of his characters are alike it’s not a big deal since they fit into the movies that he’s in.
Kevin Bacon as a villain though is scary, and not because he’s so obviously intimidating, oh no. He’s scary because that smile he gives could mean a lot of things. One good example comes from Hollow Man when he plays the lead character, Sebastian Caine. There’s nothing warm about his smile in this movie and it’s because of this that he makes such a convincing bad guy. The movie wasn’t that great, but it served a purpose, to show that Kevin Bacon can be insanely creepy and make it work. That’s why his role as a villain in what’s bound to be another campy reboot is likely going to be impressive and more than a little perfect for such a movie. There’s no doubt that this version of The Toxic Avenger will be every bit as ridiculous as the originals, even with new visuals and actors, but that’s kind of the point.
If it was any different it might not be the same movie, and one can bet that fans might actually be disappointed, since a campy movie being turned into something serious and meaningful is entirely possible, but it kind of loses some of the original charm when this happens, some of the soul of the original if that makes sense. Hopefully the movie will be a little more impressive in terms of effects and the story, but from a villain standpoint, it feels that Kevin Bacon will nail the role and do just fine. Apart from that, it’s bound to be a bit of a wait for the movie to release, which leaves plenty of time to talk about it.
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