Anthony Mackie Joined Twisted Metal Because of Cobra Kai

May 17, 2023

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An actor joins a project because they like the Karate Kid. Let's call it the "Miyagi Effect."

What do you call it when an actor joins a project because they're a big fan of The Karate Kid? Technically, no official term exists for such a phenomenon, but let's call the "Miyagi Effect" for argument's sake.

What the hell are we driving at here? Well, the iconic martial arts rivalry between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is one of the deciding factors that attracted Anthony Mackie to the upcoming Twisted Metal series on Peacock.

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Catching up with Rolling Stone in the wake of a fresh glimpse at the video game adaptation (premiering July 27), Mackie revealed that he had been on the lookout for "something in a comedy vein" when the offer came along. It wasn't just the light-hearted aspect that drew him in, but also the fact that a writer and producer on one his favorite streaming titles would be serving as showrunner.

"[When] I read the pilot, I was a big fan of MJ [Michael Jonathan Smith], who was the showrunner, [and] also did Cobra Kai, because I love that show," the actor said. "And once he told me what episodes he had done, I was like, 'Oh, wow, [this] is really fun TV.'"

The other deciding factor was the knowledge that Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese — the writers behind Zombieland and Deadpool — were on board as executive producers. "When I heard they were on board… [you] don't usually get an opportunity to work with writers like that," added Mackie, whose producer credit allowed him to have a major say in the creative process.

"It was fun just to spitball ideas and bounce ideas. The thing about comedy, you just throw out every bad idea. That's when you might have one that's just gold. So, I was able and allowed to be as silly and idiotic as I usually am, and everybody either laughed or said no."

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In the upcoming series, the Captain America: Brave New World star gets behind the wheel as John Doe, a motor-mouthed delivery man meandering across the post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of a true home amidst the Divided States of America.

"This is a bonkers show about insiders and outsiders, and how our own special apocalypse has divided and isolated us more than ever," Smith wrote in a message to viewers this week. "But there's hope. You can find your people and your community. You may just have to get past a terrifying clown driving a well-armed ice cream truck to find them."

Twisted Metal zooms onto Peacock Thursday, July 27.

Want more original Peacock content in the meantime? Be sure to check out Bel-Air, Killing It, A Friend of the Family, Poker Face, Joe vs. Carole, Mrs. Davis, MacGruber, and Based on a True Story.