DRIVE ANGRY

BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT: ANTHONY MACKIE IS BACK AS JOHN DOE, THE AMNESIAC MILKMAN IN TWISTED METAL, THE VIDEOGAME ADAPTATION THAT'S ABOUT TO SHIFT GEARS FOR SEASON TWO

- JAMES MOTTRAM

SEPTEMBER 2024. A VAST former airplane hangar, in the north of Toronto, Canada, is today playing host to very different modes of transport. Close to the office space where SFX is ensconced, a giant two-wheeled monster vehicle is being craned into view. A short hop away, in the busy chop shop, purple and green VW Beetles, a tow truck with a spiked ball on its tow arm, and an ice cream van sit patiently. Outside on the concourse, a rust-covered white Audi TT awaits. That's Twisted Metal, right there.

A PlayStation and PC videogame series heavy on vehicular combat and machine-oriented mayhem, Twisted Metal was always ripe for a screen adaptation. Released in 2023, the 10-episode first season roared audiences to a post-apocalyptic America, where cities have become walled-off fortresses in an effort to keep out the psychotic criminals that patrol the lawless outer regions. A mix of high-octane action and ribald comedy then. Or as showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith puts it: “Mad Max meets The Simpsons.”

GAME PLAY

There's no better way to describe this one-off TV show - which is driven by Anthony Mackie's John Doe, the amnesiac “milkman” who we first saw on a wild cross-country run to retrieve a package from New Chicago. “Season one was a really good show, a really good jump-off point, because there's nothing like this on TV,” says the actor, dressed in Nike high-tops, cargo pants and a maroon t-shirt, when he pops over for a chat. “Every season you want to build on the season before it. And this season definitely builds on season one, because The Tournament is insane.”