Peacock's upcoming Twisted Metal TV series will take tonal cues from 2009 zombie comedy Zombieland.
In an interview with IGN, PlayStation Studios Senior Producer Carter Swan discussed the ideas and creative process involved in adapting the classic game for television. The challenge of combining dramatic storytelling and the games' "balls-out fun and craziness" was apparently no obstacle for the team of Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, known for writing Zombieland and the Deadpool movies together. "They're able to kind of take these violent, ridiculous things and make them fun," Swan said. "Zombieland’s a good barometer if you look at what happens in that movie as to what we could do."
Season 1 of Twisted Metal reportedly wrapped filming in August 2022. The show features an all-star cast that includes Anthony Mackie (who is also an executive producer) as its amnesiac protagonist, Stephanie Beatriz of Brooklyn Nine-Nine fame as original character Quiet, wrestler Samoa Joe as Sweet Tooth, and Will Arnett as the voice of said murderous clown and ice cream salesman. Showrunner Michael Johathan Smith spoke highly of the shoot, saying that "even with lightning delays, extreme heat, and cars that wouldn’t do as they’re told, everyone worked as hard as they could to make sure Twisted Metal kicked as much as possible."
The Twisted Metal Show Will Be Explosive
The influence of Zombieland -- the directorial debut of Ruben Fleischer that continues to be held in high regard by its fans -- supports statements from the cast and crew regarding the tone the show aims to create. Peacock has called the series a "high-octane action comedy", while Mackie has teased Twisted Metal's plot, saying, "It's just us driving cars and blowing stuff up and trying to make it to New San Francisco."
Sony's Twisted Metal franchise currently comprises nine PlayStation-exclusive games and a DC-published comic book released between 1995 and 2012. The games tell the story of the titular tournament run by the enigmatic and devil-like Calypso, and the various playable characters that compete in the competition -- an extremely deadly, post-apocalyptic demolition derby. Members of the creative team involved in the show's production have fond memories of their time with the games. As Swan himself recalls, "I used to play it at my friend's apartment up in their game loft and pass out at night, playing it like every night, every time a new one came out. So again, trying to build towards storylines down the road."
Twisted Metal does not yet have a release date.
Source: IGN