While there’s no sign of a new Twisted Metal game, the hit PlayStation vehicular series is getting a TV adaptation this month starring Anthony Mackie. After a teaser clip was shown at Summer Games Fest, the first full Twisted Metal trailer is here, giving us our best look yet at the upcoming live-action TV show.
If you want to see cars shooting at each other with guns in an apocalyptic wasteland, the new Twisted Metal trailer delivers this in spades.
Watch the new Twisted Metal trailer
The first Twisted Metal trailer introduces us to John Doe played by Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), a "motor-mouthed outsider" who is offered a “offered a chance at a better life” if he can deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Numerous scenes show him driving a modified Subaru WRX armed with machine guns. Along the way, he teams up with Quiet, a “badass axe-wielding car thief” played by Stephanie Beatriz (Enchanto).
Series mascot Sweet Tooth, a killer clown with a flaming head who drives an ice cream truck, also appears in the trailer played by Samao Joe and voiced by Will Arnett. From the trailer, the Twisted Metal TV show clearly adopts a lighter, more comedic tone than the games created by David Jaffe.
While the teaser clip showing Mackie and Sweet Tooth fighting with their fists instead of cars and singing “Thong Song” together was widely panned, the full trailer looks more promising, mixing memorable characters, comedy and the explosive car combat the game series is synonymous with.
One scene shows a battle with dozens of cars erupting in an empty car park, mimicking the arena battles in the games.
Written by Cobra Kai's Michael Jonathan Smith, Twisted Metal airs exclusively on the streaming service Peacock on 27 July in the US, so there's not long to wait. UK fans may have to wait longer, however.
Although Peacock content is available to Sky TV and Now TV subscribers in the UK, an air date outside the US is yet to be confirmed.
Will there be a new Twisted Metal game?
The TV show raises the question: will there be a new Twisted Metal game? Rumours are swirling that a new Twisted Metal game is in the works by Sony’s Firesprite studio, but nothing is confirmed yet.
Earlier this year, job listings revealed the studio is looking to hire staff for a new AAA multiplayer game in Unreal Engine 5 blending vehicular and on-foot combat, which sounds similar to Destruction All-Stars.
If the job listing refers to a new Twisted Metal game, this will be the first time a game in the car combat series has featured on-foot combat like in Destruction All-Stars.
Firesprite is also looking for developers with VR experience, so we could get a new Twisted Metal game with PSVR 2 support.
2012’s Twisted Metal on PS3 was the last game in the series, so it’s been dormant for a decade now. Since the last game’s sales fell below expectations, it will likely be a smaller, download-only title if a new game is in development.
Alas, Sony may want to wait and see if the TV show generates enough interest for a Twisted Metal PS5 reboot.
Incidentally, Gran Turismo is also getting a film adaptation a few weeks later in August.