Anthony Mackie to play a "smart-ass milkman" in the live-action Twisted Metal show
The series is a half-hour comedy being developed by some of the writers of Deadpool
Anthony Mackie—Captain America himself!—has lined up his next big non-Marvel role, signing on to star in Sony’s upcoming live-action Twisted Metal TV show. Written by Deadpool’s Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the series will adapt the long-running series of PlayStation automotive combat games, in which a variety of psychopaths blow up world landmarks in their souped-up cars in exchange for a chance to be granted their greatest wish.
Mackie will star in the series as John Doe, dropped into a plot which seems to have been loosely based on the frequently convoluted plotlines of the games. The character’s name, and his affliction of amnesia, seem to draw from 2001's Twisted Metal: Black, in which a similar character competes in the tournaments in order to find out who he really is. But certain elements of Reese and Wernick’s script are definitely new, including the revelation that Mackie will be playing a “smart-ass milkman” in the series, tapping into one of literature’s greatest and most recurring archetypes. (It’s right up there with other such major Jungian concepts as the Shadow, and The Paperboy With A Heart Of Gold.)
Also, rather than just straight-up killing people with his milk truck, Mackie’s Doe will be tasked with crossing the country while transporting a mysterious package that we hope like hell will not turn out to just be milk. Presumably, the other Twisted Metal characters—including the franchise’s signature killer, Sweet Tooth, an insane clown with a flaming head who hunts his victims with an ice cream truck (the milk truck’s literally cooler cousin!)—will be trying to stop Doe from making his appointed rounds.
Twisted Metal is the second big project to come out of PlayStation Productions, which is also working on the HBO-aimed The Last Of Us adaptation. This latest series is being described as a “high-octane” half-hour comedy.