Time to join the mayhem once again. With a few weeks left until its debut, Peacock has unleashed a new trailer for the upcoming Twisted Metal series. This R-rated series has Avengers star Anthony Mackie as the main lead, set against the backdrop of a dystopian America, where a trip on the road is a deadly game.
Madness on the road
The nearly three-minute trailer shows what audiences should expect from the show. Anthony Mackie stars as John Doe, a freelance delivery man looking for a good score. He is offered a strange, cryptic package with a grand buyout. The goal: To deliver this message across a desolate country to its destination. While it sounds easy on paper, the world is filled with bandits and outlaws, all armed to the teeth. With the help of Stephanie Beatriz’s character, Quiet, the two hope to survive this adventure of hunter and hunted. Along the way, many personalities will try and stop John and Quiet, from loose cops to a certain clown voiced by Wil Arnett.
Twisted Metal is based on the video game franchise of the same name. Twisted Metal was a launch title for the original PlayStation in 1995, bringing forth incredible visuals and gameplay. Its edgy and more mature atmosphere had it stick out among the competition at the time, and led to subsequent sequels. Each game became a vehicular battle royale, from fighting on the rooftops of New York City to the labyrinths of Area 51, all to the tune of musicians like Rob Zombie. The originals focused on an international tournament where the host, Calypso, granted the winner a special wish should they survive. The last entry, simply titled Twisted Metal, was released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and has not made a return since.
A Twisted History
Peacock is certainly an odd home for Twisted Metal but this trailer gives a lot of promise for an entertaining and comedic action series. The original Twisted Metal games leaned on lunacy and absurdity, befitting of the time they were in. Twisted Metal II, Twisted Metal III, and Twisted Metal 4 all embraced a loony atmosphere. The player selected rogue cops, alien enforcers, gung-ho soldiers, and demons straight from Hell itself. Twisted Metal Black for the PS2 ventured into darker territory and was more horror themed. Whether this series goes dark or leans on more fantastical magic is anyone’s guess. I do hope they lean into more physical mayhem and comedy because TV could use more of that these days.
Twisted Metal arrives on July 27th on Peacock. The series will be 10 half-hour episodes.
