Development
In May 2019, during an investor relations presentation, Sony Pictures Television confirmed that it was developing a television series based on the video game series Twisted Metal . [1] By February 2021, the series was announced with Will Arnett, Rhett Reese, Michael Jonathan Smith and Paul Wernick on board to executive produce. Smith serves as showrunner and wrote the series based on an original take by Reese and Wernick. [2] In February 2022, the half-hour action-comedy was greenlit by Peacock. [3] The following month, Kitao Sakurai joined the series as an executive producer in addition to directing multiple episodes. [4] On December 7, 2023, Peacock renewed the series for a second season. [5]
Casting
In September 2021, Anthony Mackie serves as one of the executive producers and was the first to be cast. He plays John Doe, a "smart-ass milkman" with amnesia, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if he can survive the onslaught of vehicular combat. [6] In May 2022, Stephanie Beatriz and Thomas Haden Church were cast in starring roles as Quiet and Agent Stone, respectively. Quiet is a car thief that forms an antagonistic bond with John Doe. [7] Agent Stone is described as "a cold and unyielding post-apocalyptic highway patrolman who rules the roads". [8] Neve Campbell was cast in a recurring role as Raven. [9]
In June, Will Arnett joined the cast, voicing the character Sweet Tooth from the video game series. [10] Sweet Tooth is a "hulking killer in a ghoulish clown mask who prowls the streets of "Lost Vegas" in his weaponized ice cream truck". [11] Pro-wrestler Samoa Joe physically portrays Sweet Tooth. [12] In an interview with Screen Rant , when asked how pro wrestling history influenced his performance, he said "I think the biggest thing was kind of learning to work beyond the mask, which is something you very commonly see in wrestling. From the luchadores of old to our modern highflyers today, having the ability to kind of emote beyond essentially having a dead face is something that was very easy for me to do, especially with this character". [13]
Richard Cabral was cast as Beatriz's overprotective brother, Loud. [14] Tahj Vaughans and Mike Mitchell portray best friends, Mike and Stu. [12] Lou Beatty Jr. plays Tommy, "a grizzled and weathered cartographer who knows the dangers of the Wild Midwest". [12]
For the second season, Anthony Carrigan joined the main cast as Calypso, while Richard de Klerk, Patty Guggenheim, and Tiana Okoye have recurring guest roles as Mr. Grimm, Raven, and Dollface, respectively. [15] In August 2024, Saylor Bell Curda, Michael James Shaw, and Lisa Gilroy joined the cast in recurring roles as Mayhem, Axel, and Vermin, respectively, for the second season. [16]
Filming
The first season began principal photography in May 2022 in New Orleans and wrapped that August. [17] [18] It had an estimated budget (before tax incentives) of $45 million. [19] Shooting in New Orleans in the summer came with some challenges. Michael Jonathan Smith told NOLA.com in an interview, "We dealt with lightning delays, hurricane threats, extreme heat and cars that wouldn't do as they were told". [11]
Production for the second season moved to Toronto, Ontario. Filming began on July 17 and was originally scheduled to end on November 19, 2024, [20] but later wrapped early on October 30. [21] Shooting took place at Cambridge City Hall, which was turned into the city hall for "New San Francisco". [22] In early September, scenes were shot at a bakery across from the closed Delta Secondary School in Hamilton. [23]
