One of the challenges of a live-action adaptation is that there are certain things that look cool in a game or a comic strip or a cartoon that look utterly ridiculous when done on screen with real people. Elastigirl’s stretchy limbs in The Incredibles? Great. Reed Richards’ stretchy limbs in any of the Fantastic Four movies? Stupid.
As proof, the new Fantastic Four movie trailer that came out this week shows everyone using their powers except Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards, because even a level-100 Zaddy can’t make stretchy noodle arms look cool.
This is why I’m so excited for Season 2 of the live-action Twisted Metal series on Peacock—even though I didn’t (and probably won’t) watch the first season. Twisted Metal Season 2 is coming this summer, as announced by a new teaser you can see below, with Anthony Mackie as John Doe, Beatriz as Quiet, and hey, the first appearance Anthony Carrigan as Calypso. (You like him. He played NoHo Hank in Barry.)
Cars, guns, explosions, yeah yeah yeah, but there it is, at the very end, the tiniest glimpse of a driver I can’t wait to full see realized in live action:
Yeah, that’s Axel sticking his hand into a giant gear that starts turning. In the Twisted Metal games, Axel is a guy named Axel who drives a vehicle named Axel that is basically two giant wheels his outstretched arms are locked into. There’s no cab in Axel’s car, his body is just out there completely unprotected while he drives around between huge tires shooting rocket launchers that are mounted on his shoulders.
They’re gonna put Axel on the screen. They’re gonna put this gloriously dumb vehicle on the screen in live action:
You can also catch a couple frames of Axel standing next to Axel as it’s parked in the background in this shot:
It’s probably going to look really stupid, a guy driving around between two enormous tires, which is probably why they only teased Axel instead of showing Axel, but who knows? Maybe it’ll look awesome. Or maybe it’ll look so stupid it’ll just be awesome. Either way, like Axel, I’m ready to roll.
