Anthony Mackie, the star of Peacock's upcoming Twisted Metal, thinks the adaptation of the hit video game series is coming out at exactly the right time.
The actor recently spoke to Inverse about the upcoming action-comedy series from Zombieland and Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Even though the first Twisted Metal game came out in 1995, Mackie believes the franchise's violent dystopian setting and over-the-top social satire will strike a chord with modern audiences. "We’re slowly becoming the haves and the have-nots in real life," Mackie said. "We’re living in these gated communities, in these unaffordable neighborhoods. Really, it’s becoming a class war in real life. That’s what this show points a finger at."
Anthony Mackie as Twisted Metal's John Doe
The Twisted Metal adaptation was announced back in 2021, and spent much of last year filming. Mackie stars as John Doe, an amnesiac milkman who first appeared in Twisted Metal: Black on the Playstation 2. In the show, Doe is forced to transport a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic landscape, confronting deadly marauders such as the murderous clown Sweet Tooth. The professional wrestler Samoa Joe portrays the hulking Sweet Tooth, although Bojack Horseman star Will Arnett provides the character's voice. Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz plays a new mercenary character named Quiet, and Thomas Haden Church plays the altruistic Agent Stone.
Twisted Metal is a vehicular combat game series from Sony Interactive Entertainment, which has published eight games in the series on various Playstation consoles and handhelds since 1995. Each game revolves around a bloody demolition derby hosted by a mysterious figure named Calypso, who promises to grant a wish to the last person standing at the end of the competition. Sweet Tooth quickly became the franchise's mascot, and he and his modified ice cream truck are playable in every game. The most recent game in the series was a 2012 reboot simply titled Twisted Metal for the Playstation 3.
Besides Twisted Metal, Mackie will also be starring in the 2024 Marvel Cinematic Unvierse film Captain America: Brave New World. The actor once again plays Sam Wilson, who first appeared as The Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier before becoming the new Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Brave New World will continue where the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left off, and will also bring back The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) and Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) from the 2008 MCU movie The Incredible Hulk. Harrison Ford will make his MCU debut as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, replacing the late actor William Hurt.
Twisted Metal premieres on Peacock on July 27.
Source: Inverse