Twisted Metal Speeds Into Season 3 on Peacock With David Reed in the Driver's Seat

Peacock just hit the gas on more mayhem: Twisted Metal is coming back for season 3, and there is a new driver in the showrunner seat. David Reed, whose credits include The Boys and Supernatural, is taking over as showrunner and executive producer after Michael Jonathan Smith stepped away. If you stuck around for the season 2 post-credit tag, you probably guessed this renewal was coming.

Quick refresher on what this thing is

Twisted Metal adapts the classic PlayStation car-combat franchise with an original angle cooked up by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the duo behind Deadpool and Zombieland. The setup: a fast-talking outsider gets a shot at a better life if he can deliver a mysterious package across a busted, post-apocalyptic America. He teams up with a trigger-happy car thief, runs into road-gang lunatics in weaponized rides, and, yes, has to dodge a homicidal clown in an ice cream truck. You know the one.

Who is who under the hood

• Anthony Mackie as John Doe: a sharp-tongued milkman with a lead foot and zero memories. He wants a community to call home, but first he has to survive a whole lot of vehicular carnage.
• Stephanie Beatriz as Quiet: a fierce, instinct-first car thief who grew up silenced by her community. Revenge clouds her judgment, but she forges a spiky bond with John.
• Neve Campbell as Raven.
• Thomas Haden Church as Agent Stone: a steely highway lawman of the wasteland who talks smooth, rules hard, and dishes out brutal punishments to restore order to the so-called Divided States of America.
• Mike Mitchell and Tahj Vaughans as Stu and Mike: think Rosencrantz and Guildenstern energy, more tagalongs than fighters.
• Lou Beatty Jr. as Tommy: a grizzled mapmaker who knows the hazards of the Wild Midwest.
• Richard Cabral as Loud: Quiet's protective brother.
• Joe Seanoa, a.k.a. AEW's Samoa Joe, as the body of Sweet Tooth, with Will Arnett voicing the fan-favorite clown.
• Season 2 addition: Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Calypso, the silver-tongued mastermind behind a lethal demolition derby who promises the winner their greatest wish. Of course, there is always a twist.

Season 2 in a nutshell, and how it points to season 3

After the season 1 finale, John and Quiet land in Calypso's high-stakes tournament and have to outdrive a mix of new threats and returning nightmares, Sweet Tooth included. Things get messy for John when he reconnects with his long-lost sister, the vigilante Dollface. The season leans into the tournament's wish-granting hook while stacking the field with 16 other drivers who want their own miracles just as badly.

Michael Jonathan Smith summed up the season 2 vibes this way:

"The stakes couldn't be higher as John Doe and Quiet risk their lives to compete in a dangerous demolition derby tournament. The prize? A single wish, their greatest heart's desire, granted. The only problem is that sixteen other drivers have wishes of their own. Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz lead a stellar cast, including Will Arnett and Joe Seanoa as fan favorite Sweet Tooth, and Anthony Carrigan as the iconic tournament host Calypso, in a fast-paced, hysterical, and thrilling season with unforgettable characters. It's too bad not all of them will survive."

The stinger that lights the fuse for season 3

According to Deadline, the season 2 finale tees up the next conflict in a post-credit scene: Calypso frames John and Quiet for slaughtering the spectators at the Twisted Metal tournament. That finger-pointing ignites a fresh war between the Insiders and the Outsiders, and our duo gears up to take the fight to the man pulling the strings.

Behind the scenes shakeup

With Reed taking over showrunning duties and wearing the EP hat, season 3 is set to build on that season 2 endgame. It is a notable switch given Smith shepherded the series through those first two wild laps, but Reed's genre pedigree suggests the pedal is staying firmly planted on the floor.

Bottom line: more engines, more explosions, more clown chaos, and now a new boss in the pit lane. Buckle up.