The world's worst film studio brings you the world's worst super-hero. Make that second worst.
Troma has been a leader in entertainment since Mr. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Hertz opened the doors in 1974 however it wasn't until Kaufman directed the original Toxic Avenger in 1984 did the studio become well-known and successful. The Toxic Avenger series broke Troma into the big-time of home entertainment and spawning three sequels, a comic book series, a a red-hot series of toys for kids and even an animated show on the FOX TV network.
Ready to re-apply his formula for success in the same way that Toxie became an unlikely hero, Kaufman wrote Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD (1990). The picture's unlikely premise is that a hard-nosed NYPD cop by day is a mystical crime-fighting Japanese clown by night. Er - uhhhm, what exactly could go wrong with that kind of concept?
Despite being the perfect soundtrack vehicle for The Vapors "I Think I'm Turning Japanese" yet appropriately enough, this film was never widely released into the market and 6 years later Tromeo and Juliet (1996) signaled that Troma's golden age, largely surrounding Toxic Avenger sequels, was nearly over.
On April 7th 2010, Kaufman confirmed that a PG-13 remake of The Toxic Avenger was in development but nothing more has been made available. Another 1980's Troma classic, Mother's Day was remade and was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and produced by Brett Ratner (Cinco De Mayo). Kaufman also said that he is also negotiating a deal for remakes of Poultrygeist and Class of Nuke 'Em High.
Lastly, please note that Troma holds the annual Tromadance Festival in Park City, Utah in January at the same time as the Sundance Festival to accentuate their true independence from the mainstream.
References:
Troma Studios, Official Site
Wikipedia, Troma Entertainment
IMDb, Sgt. Kabukiman (1990)
IMDb, Lloyd Kaufman
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