Twisted Metal Season 2 Promises to Be “More Faithful” Adaptation of the Games (EXCLUSIVE)

Are you psyched to return to the fast-paced post-apocalypse of Peacock’s Emmy-nominated adaptation of the Twisted Metal video games? Good, because Season 2 is just a few months away from its July 31 premiere date!

“So excited to be back with my partner in Metal!” series lead Anthony Mackie wrote on Instagram last August once production on the new season had officially begun. The post included a photo of Mackie alongside co-star Stephanie Beatriz. The two will return as reluctant road trip buddies turned ball pit lovers John Doe and Quiet, who are about to find themselves in the midst of a vehicular tournament hosted by the mysterious Calypso (played by Barry‘s Anthony Carrigan). And, of course, Will Arnett and Samoa Joe are reprising their tag team performance behind the maniacal clown Sweet Tooth.

RELATED: How They Made That Early 2000s Twisted Metal Music: From Limp Bizkit to a “Demonic Clown Horn”

Carrigan’s not the only newcomer to the world of engine-roaring carnage. New faces include Saylor Bell Curda (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) as Mayhem, Lisa Gilroy (Interior Chinatown) as Vermin, Richard de Klerk (Designated Survivor) as Mr. Grimm, Patty Guggenheim (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) as Raven, Tiana Okoye (The Good Place) as Dollface, and Michael James Shaw (The Walking Dead) in a yet-to-be announced role.

While Twisted Metal executive producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were on the press circuit for Deadpool & Wolverine last summer, NBC Insider tried its best to extract some exclusive intel from the longtime creative duo behind the Zombieland and Deadpool franchises.

Twisted Metal producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick talk Season 2 of hit Peacock series

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“Oh man, Anthony Carrigan’s amazing. We can’t tease too much. We’ll leave that up to the showrunner, Michael Jonathan Smith,” Reese told NBC Insider as we shifted the proverbial gears from Wade Wilson’s MCU debut to Twisted Metal. “But I do think it’s an expansion on the first season. I think the first year, in a sense, was a long, fun set-up for Season 2, which will be much more faithful to the actual video game. I’ll leave it at that. But we’re very excited. We have a great Calypso, we have a great returning cast, we have some fun new faces, and I think it’s gonna be a blast.”

RELATED: Twisted Metal Costume Designer Breaks Down Wild Looks For John Doe, Sweet Tooth & More

Speaking with us at the end of 2023, Twisted Metal showrunner/writer/executive producer Smith (an alumnus of Cobra Kai) teased the introduction of several fan-favorite drivers from the original PlayStation video games, including Axel, Mr. Grimm, and Dollface.

“I’m excited for fans to see these characters come to life and see what makes them funny and what makes them heartbroken,” he said. “I think it’s gonna be fun to dive into these people … We introduced a lot of these characters — Preacher, Bloody Mary, John, Quiet, Watts — it’s gonna be fun to put them all in a [single] place at the tournament and have them interact. I’m excited about seeing how does Preacher react to Bloody Mary? How does Grimm react to Sweet Tooth?’ There’s a lot of really fun, interconnective character headspace stuff that I’m really excited to dive into. It feels like a new toy box.”

Peacock offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($5.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($11.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you’re a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!