Troma Unleashes Trailer for MR. MELVIN – The Original TOXIC AVENGER Sequel We Were Supposed to Get
Troma Entertainment is doing what only Troma can do, resurrecting cinematic chaos from the radioactive ashes of the past. They’ve just dropped a trailer for Mr. Melvin, a newly reconstructed cut that fuses The Toxic Avenger Part II and Part III into the single, two-hour gonzo epic it was originally meant to be.
If you're a longtime Troma fan, you probably already know that Parts II and III weren’t supposed to be separate films. Back in the late ’80s, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz shot a massive sequel meant to continue Melvin Junko’s journey as Tromaville’s mop-wielding mutant hero. But thanks to a bloated runtime and the MPAA's less-than-Tromatic sensibilities, the film got chopped in two.
Now, 36 years later, that original vision is finally coming to life with Mr. Melvin. 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, and it's even given me a reason not to blow my f*cking brains out! It's a very happy ending, and I'm proud to say Michael and I are leaving our mop in toxeriffic hands.”
The restoration/resurrection was spearheaded by Andrew L. Miller (Kaufman’s assistant) and Adam Peltier (The Power of Positive Murder), who discovered the original script and painstakingly stitched together footage from both films into a cohesive whole.
Toxie actor Ron Fazio even returned to record new voiceover for the project, bringing fresh life to the mutated vigilante. 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... the way it should be!”
Peltier sees Mr. Melvin as more than just an edit, it’s a reframing of what Troma’s been doing all along.
“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.”
While the film will still be packed with all the gonzo gore and anti-corporate satire you’d expect from Troma, there’s something more happening beneath the surface sludge.
“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?”
Mr. Melvin will premiere July 18–19 at Troma-Thon 2025 at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, PA—because of course it would. This is Troma. This is cinema, mutated and reborn.