By RUE MORGUE STAFF

The Mouse House will now also be home to mutants and madmen.

It was announced today by Troma Entertainment that Lloyd Kaufman will no longer serve as president of the legendary 50-year-old independent film studio, known for cult-classic movies such as THE TOXIC AVENGER, TROMEO & JULIET et al. According to Kaufman, he is stepping away for ‘personal reasons.’ Executive Vice President Michael Herz will take over as interim CEO while the acquisition of Troma is finalized by The Walt Disney Company, which says it has plans to expand Troma’s production into Hollywood. Disney has agreed to pay $500 million for the acquisition, giving it control over Troma’s franchises; the studio expects to release a brand new TOXIC AVENGER series on Disney+ and also has plans for Troma theme parks and other TV shows.

Rumor has it that Kaufman had a falling out with his Troma co-founder and business partner Herz over the issue, but neither Troma nor The Walt Disney Company have made Kaufman or Herz available for comment. However, Troma’s Andrew L. Miller, who will be joining Disney as VP of Alternative Content, has told us, “I for one am very much looking forward to this new era of Troma, with Disney as the perfect home for so many beloved IPs.” Obviously, we’ll keep you abreast of updates in this developing story!