Twisted Metal, the blockbuster PlayStation video game franchise, is now taking the form of a Peacock series.
Friday, the streamer gave fans the first proper look at the new series, which sees Anthony Mackie leading the cast as a mission-bound milkman by he name of John Doe. Joining Mackie are Stephanie Beatriz as Quiet, Thomas Haden Church as Agent Stone, and more. Recurring cast members include Scream’s Neve Campbell and comedian Mike Mitchell.
The 10-episode series, co-created by the Deadpool duo of Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, is slated to debut on Peacock on July 27. See the new teaser trailer up top.
When rolling out the teaser trailer on Friday, showrunner and writer Michael Jonathan Smith shared an extended letter addressed to “esteemed members of the press,” including, arguably, the writer you’re reading now.
“The year was 2001,” Smith said. “Weezer had welcomed fans to an Island in the Sun. Shrek was an all-star at the box office. Pizza Hut had delivered a salami pizza to the International Space Station. And I was a sixteen year old nerd who had just purchased Twisted Metal: Black. The second I inserted that disc into my PlayStation 2, I was transported to a chaotic demolition derby that left me cackling with glee at the chaos of it all. That inescapable feeling of joy is what I wanted to bring to life in our show. “
It’s hard to imagine Twisted Metal not doing well for the streamer, as its source material is still routinely cited by longtime gamers as one of the all-time greats. Its influence can also be seen in other artistic mediums; Juice WRLD, for example, was heavily inspired by the game series for the cover art to his sophomore album Death Race for Love in 2019.
Peacock is currently on one hell of a roll when it comes to well-received originals. Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof’s Betty Gilpin-starring Mrs. Davis, for example, debuted on the platform this month following strong word-of-mouth acclaim stemming from its SXSW premiere.
In May, Peacock will roll out the long-awaited Bupkis, a semi-autobiographical take on the life of Pete Davidson. In the genre-spanning original series, Edie Falco plays Davidson’s mother and Joe Pesci—a rarity onscreen these days—plays his grandfather.
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