Created by Michael Jonathan Smith (Cobra Kai, Diary of a Future President), Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Zombieland), and Rhett Reese (Deadpool, Zombieland), Twisted Metal debuted on Peacock in July 2023. The series, which is based on the video game franchise, was renewed in December 2023 for a second season. According to ScreenRant, Smith has revealed details about season two in an interview with NBC Insider, including what character arcs he is excited about.
As ScreenRant notes, he first explained that season two is in the process of being written, stating, “The [writers’] room has started. We have an amazing team of writers and we’re discussing the arc of the season and what the first episode might be, looking at the big picture. I’m really excited.”
Smith then spoke about the inclusion of new characters from the video game, such as Mr. Grimm. Smith explained, “He’s my favorite and I’m excited to capture what the fans are excited about seeing, but also [answer the question of]: ‘How does he exist in the world we’ve set up?’ I think there’s just going to be a lot of fun with him — what kind of character he is in this world and how does he interact with people like Sweet Tooth?”
In addition to Mr. Grimm, season two will also include characters Axel and Calypso. As ScreenRant notes, Smith continued, “I’m excited for fans to see these characters come to life and see what makes them funny and what makes them heartbroken. 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.”
When talking about whether season two will revolve around the tournament, Smith shared, “Here’s what I’ll say. On Cobra Kai, there were very much tournament seasons and consequence seasons, and this is very much a tournament season. I want everything to feel like it’s tied to the tournament, even if we aren’t in the tournament yet. I am hopeful that it will surprise and delight those people who saw the finale of Episode 10 and was like, ‘I want to see more of that in a tournament setting.’ My goal is to capture that.”
The first season of Twisted Metal revolves around John Doe, played by Anthony Mackie (8 Mile, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), as he journeys across the United States to deliver a package in a post-apocalyptic world.