Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Twisted Metal’s Anthony Mackie Sounds Off on Recent Boom of Video Game Adaptations
"I can’t wait for my boys to see Twisted Metal so I can show them the game that I grew up playing..."
Has the dreaded video game adaptation curse finally been broken? It certainly seems that way with recent projects like HBO's The Last of Us and Universal's The Super Mario Bros. Movie garnering critical acclaim and/or a boatload of cash at the box office.
The curse will very likely remain broken late next month when Peacock debuts Twisted Metal, a post-apocalyptic translation of the legendary video game series of vehicular smash-em-up titles published by Sony.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Anthony Mackie — who, in addition to playing Twisted Metal's lead character also enjoys an executive producer credit — touched on the recent upswell in Hollywood's desire to produce the next great video game adaptation. For him, it's more about getting back in touch with his youth and being able to share what he loved growing up with his own children.
Twisted Metal star Anthony Mackie talks video game adaptations
"My generation grew up on video games. That was our thing. That was our outlet. Now we’re old [Laughs]. Those video games have a sentimental value to us," he explained. "So, seeing those come back to life, seeing those being adapted and given the opportunity to have a second chance is really cool. It’s fun. We get to re-engage and reconnect with those characters, but also re-engage and connect with another generation through those characters. I can’t wait for my boys to see Twisted Metal so I can show them the game that I grew up playing, with all this Minecraft sh-t and all that. I want them to see the type of game that I grew up playing. You know, I didn’t play 'build-a-blox' growing up."
The Captain America: Brave New World star headlines the show as John Doe, a motor-mouthed delivery man searching for an identity and a place to call home in the Divided States of America.
RELATED: Twisted Metal’s Anthony Mackie Signed On to Peacock Series Because He Was a Fan of Cobra Kai
His journey across a dangerous wasteland of bloodthirsty marauders brings him into contact with a an axe-wielding car thief named Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), and a sociopathic clown in an ice cream truck named Sweet Tooth (physically portrayed by Joe Seanoa, aka Samoa Joe, and voiced by Will Arnett). Thomas Haden Church, Neve Campbell, Richard Cabral, Mike Mitchell, Tahj Vaughans, and Lou Beatty Jr. round out the principal cast.
Showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Will Arnett, Marc Forman, Jason Spire, Peter Principato, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Hermen Hulst serve as executive producers alongside Mackie.
Twisted Metal zooms onto Peacock Thursday, July 27.
Want more original Peacock content in the meantime? Be sure to check out Bel-Air, Killing It, A Friend of the Family, Poker Face, Joe vs. Carole, Mrs. Davis, MacGruber, and Based on a True Story.
