*For Season 2 of Peacock’s explosive gaming adaptation, “Twisted Metal” showrunner and executive producer Michael Jonathan Smith says the creative team pushed everything harder—stunts, stakes, and character arcs.
And according to him, that gamble almost broke the production in the best way possible.
“This season we went so much bigger,” Smith said. “We wanted to go bigger with the comedy, the action… I mean, Axel was a big risk. Building a giant rig? That was something where we were like, ‘Oh, I hope this works.’ And I’m so glad it looks amazing.”
The introduction of Axel, a fan-favorite from the original video game series who is essentially a man-vehicle hybrid with massive wheels for limbs, is just one of the ways Season 2 honors the chaos of the franchise while adding its own narrative depth.
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But it’s not all stunts and spectacle. Smith revealed that emotional themes were just as critical to shaping this new season—particularly the evolving relationship between leads John Doe (Anthony Mackie) and Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz).
“We have a seven-month time jump this season,” Smith explained. “We wanted to capture that feeling of going away to college and coming back to your ex. Like—what are we now? Things have changed. John and Quiet only knew each other for 10 days in Season 1. We wanted to test them and ask: do they really care about each other? What happens when life starts pulling them in different directions?”
That layered approach also extends to Raven, a mysterious power player introduced last season. For Season 2, the puppet strings get more tangled.
“We love the idea of puppeteering in the show—how Raven controlled so much from the shadows. So we took that further. What if there’s a bigger Raven? What if the Raven we saw was just one of many? That’s how we landed on multiple Ravens, and brought in Patty Guggenheim, who absolutely crushes it,” Smith shared.
From a gamer’s POV, Smith is especially hyped for fans to see what the team did with Mr. Grimm, another iconic character.
“Grimm is one of my favorites,” he said. “The design work on his jacket alone—leather straps like streamers, ribcage spine details, Evel Knievel vibes. Richard de Klerk is phenomenal in the role, and what we do with his motorcycle? People aren’t ready.”
But if you’re wondering which episode was the biggest beast to shoot? That’s Episode 5—or as Smith describes it, “The one that almost broke us.”
“It took 29 calendar days to shoot. We had a second unit going at the same time. Our director, Bill Benz, and DP, Fraser Brown, just crushed it. Fans are going to lose their minds.”
Episodes of Twisted Metal Season 2 are now streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. Follow her socials @StilettoJill or visit JillMunroe.com. Catch her live M-F on KBLA Talk 1580 from 6PM to 7PM.
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