You want weird, unexpected casting rumours? We’ve got weird, unexpected casting rumours! A couple of years back it was announced that a remake of the Troma cult classic The Toxic Avenger was in development and that Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink had signed on to direct. It was also being reported that this new version would be a “family friendly PG-13 action comedy akin to The Mask.” While that may sound like a total affront to the original Troma flick, don’t forget that The Toxic Avenger had his own Saturday morning cartoon and toy line back in the early ’90s. Now this week we have the inside scoop on who might play Toxie himself in the remake, and it’s a much bigger name than most would have guessed: believe it or not, John Travolta is reportedly attached to star in the film.

This surprising news comes courtesy of the industry tracking website It’s On The Grid, which contains listings for various Hollywood projects that are currently in development. They have an entry for The Toxic Avenger with Steve Pink attached as the director and it just so happens that the only actor listed is John Travolta. It doesn’t specify what role he might play, but the obvious assumption is that he would be taking on the lead.

Yes, it all sounds pretty crazy, and at this point it’s far from confirmed. However, Travolta has proven in the past that he is not afraid to take on risky roles and poke fun at himself (he donned a fat suit and went in drag for the 2006 remake of Hairspray). If this does turn out to be true, I’m not sure that it will really improve the film’s commercial potential, but it definitely makes me even more interested to see what it will look like. What do you think, could a family-friendly take on The Toxic Avenger actually work and would you pay to see John Travolta as Melvin Junko?