Mark Hamill is heading to the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The Emmy Award winner has been cast in a recurring role in season 3 of Peacock's Twisted Metal, playing Pope Charlie Kane, the leader of a faction called the Eastern Sovereignty and the estranged father of the show's most unhinged character, Sweet Tooth.
According to Deadline, which broke the news exclusively, the casting adds one of Hollywood's most recognized actors to a show that has become one of Peacock's strongest original series. Sweet Tooth is physically performed by Joe Seanoa and voiced by Will Arnett. Charlie Kane is his father, though the relationship is far from warm.
Star and executive producer Anthony Mackie did not hold back in his response to the news. "For Mark Hamill to come into this world with us is amazing. He's someone I've admired for a long time – a true legend who's influenced generations of actors. Being able to now call him a castmate is an incredible honor, and we're excited to see what he brings to the world of Twisted Metal," Mackie said.
The character of Charlie Kane has roots deep in the video game franchise the show is based on. In the original 1995 Twisted Metal game, Kane is a tournament contestant who drives a vehicle called the Yellow Jacket. In 2001's Twisted Metal: Black, he appears as a corpse controlled by his son, Sweet Tooth. The TV series appears to be building its own version of that strained family dynamic.
Twisted Metal follows John Doe, played by Mackie, a motor-mouthed outsider tasked with delivering a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic version of the United States. The main cast also includes Stephanie Beatriz as Quiet and Anthony Carrigan as the mysterious Calypso. Season 2 deepened the story by sending John and Quiet into the deadly Twisted Metal tournament itself.
The numbers behind the show help explain why season 3 is happening at all. Season 2 registered 993 million minutes of viewing on Peacock, making it the streamer's second-highest-reaching original returning scripted season. Critics responded strongly as well, with season 2 earning a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a significant jump from the 67% season 1 received. Audience scores stayed consistently positive across both seasons, sitting at 88% and 82% respectively.
Season 3 comes with a significant behind-the-scenes change. David Reed, known for his work on The Boys and Supernatural, stepped in as showrunner and executive producer following the exit of Michael Jonathan Smith. Reed will executive produce alongside Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Arnett, and Mackie, among others. Plot details for season 3 have not yet been released.
Hamill arrives on the show after a busy stretch. He recently starred opposite Tom Hiddleston in Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck, appeared in Lionsgate's The Long Walk, and voiced the Flying Dutchman in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. He also reprised his role as tailor Art Rosenbaum in Invincible season 4.
