‘Heels’ is a wrestling drama on Starz that features former ‘Arrow’ star Stephen Amell as Jack Spade, a heel in the fictional Duffy Wrestling League (DWL). He stars with Alexander Ludwig who plays Jack’s younger brother and a fellow wrestler in DWL. The show has been well-received by critics who praised the story and the acting.
Creator Michael Waldron and showrunner Mike O’Malley recently sat down with Collider to discuss the show, their roles as executive producers, and why they want to keep it exciting for the audience.
When asked how far they have planned for the show, both agreed that they hope it runs for half a decade.
“I just wanna say that Michael has already figured out five years. What scares me is that then we have to actually start typing those up. But he knows,” explained O’Malley.
Waldron said, “This show has lived in my head since 2013, so I’ve had a lot of time to think about where it might go with what we’ve teed up in this first season. We’ve launched what I think is an exciting adventure, in its own way. That’s the great thing about doing a show set in the world of wrestling. It’s a far-reaching world populated with a lot of different, crazy characters and with a batshit crazy history and mythology to keep pulling from. So, we’re never gonna be wanting for source material, so to speak. It’s a rich world. There’s a little more meat on the bone.”
O’Malley added, “One of the things we set up is, as a little bit of success comes their way, how do people operate when they feel like that success is coming? That’s what we’re set up for, in the second season. There are people who are emotionally intertwined with one another and don’t like how they’re being treated, and maybe you have or all of us have worked at jobs where, even though they might’ve been compensating us with money and benefits, it wasn’t the right thing because emotionally it wasn’t the right thing. I think that’s where we can continue to go at, with the wrestling world.”
‘Heels’ airs on Starz on Sundays and also stars Alison Luff, Mary McCormack, Kelli Berglund, Allen Maldonado, James Harrison, Roxton Garcia, and Chris Bauer.
‘Heels’ Producers Break Down The Wrestling Drama
Bugs Bunny Is Getting A Detailed Space Jam Action Figure
Beast Kingdom’s Dynamic 8ction Heroes line will be adding a classic character from animation history, Bugs Bunny. DAH-048 Bugs Bunny sports his gear from Space Jam: A New Legacy and stands about 17cm tall. Bugs has several ball joints and three interchangeable faces. Unfortunately, it’s unclear if his Tune Squad basketball jersey can be removed, so he looks more like his classic self.
Bugs can be pre-ordered now at the Big Bad Toy Store for $79.99. The rascally rabbit will be burrowing into homes in May 2022. Does this mean we may be getting a Chungus figure in the future? No articulation, just a solid mass. Please? I need memes made flesh!
Featuring around 16 points of articulation, the screen accurate Bugs Bunny is dressed in a Tune Squad jersey made of real fabric. A selection of replaceable faces and hands allows customization in expression while you pose the determined Bugs Bunny with a selection of accessories including his signature carrot and a magnetic basketball.
Bugs comes with the following accessories and features:
- 3 Replaceable face sculpts
- Regular
- Frigtened
- Shocked
- 2 Pairs of replaceable ears
- Regular
- Bent
- 3 Pairs of replacable hands
- Clenched fist
- Open
- Basketball ready (with magnets for the basketball)
- Carrot
- Basketball
- Tune Squad jersey
- Shorts
- Branded figure base with bracket
Oddly the photos available don’t show off just how flexible the Bugs Bunny figure is. It’s cool to see Looney Toons toys back on the market, though. Now, could we get some more accessories? Maybe a mallet? TNT?
There’s a large void in the action figure market for Looney Tunes toys. With many variations of many of WB’s iconic toons, one would think this would be an easy cash cow. Let us know what you think of this new figure of the classic WB cartoon hare in the comments.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Arcade1up Now Makes Kid-Friendly Cabinets for Pac-Man and PAW Patrol
So, you’ve got your game room full of Arcade1UP cabinets, but you don’t want your kids getting their sticky fingers all over your stuff? Well, there’s now a Junior line of arcade cabinets made just for kids!
Standing at 3′ tall, these scaled-down cabinets require no assembly and are fitted with soft edges and large, kid-friendly buttons. Yes, they even come with a little stool for a child to sit on while they play either PAW Patrol and Pac-Man.
Pac-Man will be available starting on October 15th while PAW Patrol will be ready for orders on November 15th.
With no assembly required, your kids will be up-and-running in minutes, playing yes, PAC-MAN™, widely considered the video game character that ushered in the golden age of arcade gaming! Also on the unit are classic games DIG DUG™ and GALAGA™. The Arcade1Up Jr. makes it easy for kids to take control and learn the included games at their own pace, with oversized buttons and custom difficulty levels.
With no assembly required, your kids will be up-and-running in minutes, playing one of the 3 included PAW Patrol™ Games. The Arcade1Up Jr makes it easy for kids to take control and learn the included games at their own pace, with oversized buttons and custom difficulty levels.
Specs and details:
- New junior sized form factor
- Dimensions: 17.50″ D x 15.50″ in W x 36.50″ H
- 8 inch screen
- Joystick-4 way + oversized ball top
- Oversized buttons
- Power: Micro USB (includes cord with plug)
- Age level: 4-8 years old
I’d joked about a Fischer Price “My First Arcade” cabinet when Arcade1up launched. Now it has come to pass. My daughter has the Countercade Pac-Man machine and hardly played it. I’m not exactly sure if there’s a market for this age range.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Arcade1up]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’s ‘The Last Ronin’ Statue Is A Tearjerker
What if the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were picked off one by one? New York has become worse for wear, and only one of the four brothers remains to face the Foot. That’s the story of The Last Ronin, a dreary story by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird for IDW.
Honoring the remaining Ninja Turtle, PCS Collectibles has created a 1:4 scale statue based on the story. Michelangelo does not stand quite alone as the spirits of his fallen brothers look after him. It’s touching and a stark difference from the TMNT we’re used to seeing so often.
This is a massive statue and comes with a massive price tag. $1,629.99. It will drop in October 2022 and can be pre-ordered now over at Big Bad Toy Store.
Springing from the minds of TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comes an epic like you’ve never seen before! In a future NYC far different than the one we know today, a lone surviving Turtle goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends. Kinetic layouts from Eastman, inks from Esau and Isaac Escorza and a thrilling script full of surprises from longtime TMNT scribe Tom Waltz all combine to make this one of the most memorable TMNT stories you will ever read!
The statue is modular. The spirits of the Turtles can be removed. Fully assembled, the statue is 23.5″ tall. What fate awaits Mikey? Can he survive in a city controlled by a ferocious Foot Clan?
The first issue of this dark Turtles tale launched in October 2020. If you want to get into The Last Ronin story, check out Comicstorian’s video below and then head on over to IDW and snag a physical or digital version.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Dead Optimus Prime and Galvatron: Super7’s Newest Transformers Toys
Hey kids! Do you like Transformers? Do you like Optimus Prime? We’ve got the perfect toy for you! It’s Optimus Prime’s corpse action figure! So why are you all crying?
Super7’s 4th wave of Transformers: The Movie ReAction figures delivers fan favorites and a very morbid one. Yup, one of the four new toys is the lifeless, gray corpse of the beloved Autobot leader. Had this launched in the ’80s, it would have made emotional cripples out of many of us.
Super7’s Transformers action figures are 3.75″ tall and cost $18 apiece. They can be ordered right now, but due to Covid, these may not ship immediately.
Aside from the dead Prime, this wave also includes Coronation Starscream, Hot Rod, and Galvatron. Starscream does come with his crown and royal cape. Hot Rod’s accessories are blasters similar to what his original toy came with. Galvatron is a bulky figure with an arm cannon.
Prime does come with the Matrix of Leadership and his blaster, oddly enough. It would make for a cool zombie Transformers storyline.
Super7
Hopefully, this means we’ll also see some of those who died off-screen during the Decepticon attack, like Wheeljack. If Devastator is 6″, does that indicate we may be getting a supersized Unicron ReAction figure? He’d probably only have to be 12″ tall.
What are your thoughts on the Super7 ReAction Transformers toys? Worth the $18? In a way, they’re less expensive than the newer Hasbro toys. Should Super7 start producing the vehicle versions of the Transformers since these guys cannot change?
Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Super7]
ThreeZero Gives Transformers’ Bumblebee A Mean Looking Upgrade
ThreeZero has teamed with Hasbro to make a new 5″ tall Bumblebee action figure inspired by the G1 Transformers version. Bee sports multiple accessories, including his blaster, interchangeable hands, and an alternate head.
Bumblebee is currently on pre-order for $59.99 at Big Bad Toy Store. The small Autobot with the big personality should be shipping around the 1st quarter of 2022.
Bumblebee retains his VW Bug parts but cannot transform. That’s fine. It means less kibble, more details, and more articulation! Another cool feature is that he comes with an alternative head, so he can also become Goldbug!
When it was time for Optimus Prime to return, the Transformers cartoon got a special two-part episode after the movie hit theatres. In this story arc, Bumblebee is badly damaged and rebuilt. He is christened Goldbug and now had a different head design, giving him a single visor rather than two eyes. His mouth was now covered with a plate as well, like Prime.
Bumblebee / Goldbug comes with the following accessories:
- Laser blaster
- Standard head
- Masked head
- 3 Pairs of interchangeable hands
- Pair of relaxed hands
- Pair of fists
- Pair of posed hands
That level of detail is something else. For only 5″ tall, this Autobot looks more like a Bandai Gundam than anything we’ve seen from Hasbro in the past at this price.
Here is a condensed and dubbed version of The Return of Optimus Prime story. Beware, there are naughty words.
What’s your favorite version of Bumblebee? The G1 version? The Bay version? Why do you think the decision was made to make him mute in the first Michael Bay film? Wasn’t it a little odd that he could suddenly speak and the end, but in the sequels, he is back to being silent? Weird, right?
Let us know your opinions in the comments.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Light The Way With Your Own ‘Lord of the Rings’ Phail of Galadriel Replica
“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” – Lady Galadriel
Weta Studios is creating a replica of the gift Galadriel gave to Frodo before he left Lothlorien. A small phial of liquid from her fountain. Captured in that water was the light of Eärendil. The elven gift would provide a beacon of hope and light where all else had failed. Due out in the second quarter of 2022, the crafted glass replica will cost $199, and pre-orders are open now.
Not only is the glass phial lovely to look at, but it is also functional. Well, it won’t protect you from a dark force or a giant evil spider, but it will hold any liquid of your choosing. Also, the base has a light-up feature. Too bad they didn’t find a way to make it work within the glass phial itself.
If you really want to have the thing glow, maybe fill it with clear resin mixed with a little bit of blue glow-in-the-dark powder. I’ve done it before on with old absinthe bottles, and the result is pretty cool.
Here’s what $119 will get you:
- 1:1 scale prop replica
- Phial crafted from glass
- Elven base made from high-quality polystone;
- Removable stopper allows the phial to be filled with any desired liquid;
- Light-up base that illuminates the phial, powered by a single CR2032 battery. (Battery not included)
What items from Jackson’s LotR trilogy would you like to see reproduced? Maybe some genuine Hobbit foot hair? Gollum’s toenails? Would you be willing to pay $4,500 for an 18k version of the One Ring? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Weta Workshop]
COPS ‘N Crooks Are Resurrected As 1.5″ Tall Figures
COPS, the Central Organization of Police Specialists, was a cartoon that ran briefly in the late 1980s. Still, it brought with it so many unique characters that it was burnt into the nostalgia section of our brains. Now, the COPS and CROOKS have returned, albeit in a much smaller form.
Big Bad Toy Store is taking pre-orders for 1.25″ tall static figures of some of the show’s cast of law enforcement officers and criminals. COPS N’ Crooks will be available in two color tones, much like the classic M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. One set will be green; the other will be pink. Each five pack will cost $24.99 and ships during the 4th quarter of this year.
- Dr. Bad Vibes
- Bulletproof
- Big Boss
- Longarm
- Buttons MeBoomBoom
No, Ms. Demeanor?! OK, I get it. Unfortunately, you can’t fit in all the characters of this short-lived cartoon into just one release.
COPS came out around the same time as the RoboCop toys. It was a time when authority figures were the go-to. If it was military, cops, sheriffs, law enforcement officers, commandos, and Rambos, they got a toy deal. We sure did love our guns and muscles during the ’80s.
Fresh Monkey Fiction is the company that is also bringing us the Amazing Heros and Heroines toy line. These figures are based on indie and golden age heroes that are not associated with Marvel or DC. Instead, the toys are designed after the Marvel Secret Wars designs Mattel produced in the 1980s.
Would COPS make a good IP to reboot as either a new animated series or film? Or has the over politicization of the entertainment industry made that an impossibility? Let us know the comments.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
DC Comics Releases “First Look” For New Batman Saga ‘Fear State’
DC Comics announced the newest comic book saga for the Batman with the new story-arc ‘Fear State,’ a plot where Scarecrow works with Simon Saint and a band of vigilantes called the Peacekeepers to gain control of Gotham City.
“Dr. Jonathan Crane—the Scarecrow—has caused the Bat-Family to see some of the most terrifying, unconscionable sights while under the influence of his fear gas. He’s brought the world’s strongest people to their knees while driving lesser minds clinically insane. And yet, in Batman: Fear State Alpha #1, he does something that may be more terrifying than anything else he’s accomplished in his eighty years. He partners with Simon Saint,” DC Comics says on their website.
They continue, “The powerful, influential mind behind Gotham’s newly unleashed team of genetically enhanced law enforcers—the Peacekeepers—is a fan of Crane’s work and a believer in one of his more provocative theories about fear and cultural evolution. And with Saint’s financial backing and political influence (more than enough to get Crane out of Arkham Asylum) it appears Gotham is about to become a living test case as it enters a period of relentless trauma and horror—a “Fear State” specifically designed to push its citizens into a new phase of accomplishment. Or those who don’t die in the process, at least.”
DC Comics also released the cover for ‘Batman: Fear State Alpha #1.’
Fear is a powerful motivator. Get a first look at Scarecrow's devious designs for Gotham in BATMAN: FEAR STATE ALPHA #1: https://t.co/8wx11WZjNS #DCFearState pic.twitter.com/BozsqIArIy
— Batman (@DCBatman) August 27, 2021
Fear State is written by “James Tynion IV and drawn by The Last God’s Riccardo Federici, Batman: Fear State Alpha ignites a blockbuster new comic book event that will span just about all of the Bat-titles over the rest of the year. Hinted at in DC Future State, Infinite Frontier #0 and Tynion’s most recent Batman storyline “Fear State” will shape the direction of Gotham for years to come while serving as the climax to Tynion’s time writing the Dark Knight.” It is slated to be released on August 31st.
TV Drama ‘Manifest’ Saved By Netflix Following Fan Campaign
‘Manifest’ is an NBC supernatural drama that follows the lives of a group of passengers on a flight that passes through some turbulence. Once they land at their destination, they discover five years have passed. As they adjust, some begin to hear voices “calling” them. The series was canceled by NBC, but has since been picked up by Netflix following a fan campaign that wished to see a proper ending for the show.
Show creator/executive producer Jeff Rake told EW in a statement, “What started years ago as a flight of fancy deep in my imagination has evolved into the jet engine journey of a lifetime.”
He continued, “Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the worldwide outpouring of love and support for this story, its characters, and the team who work so hard to bring it all to life. That we will be able to reward the fans with the ending they deserve moves me to no end. On behalf of the cast, the crew, the writers, directors, and producers, thank you to Netflix, Warner Bros., and of course to the fans. You did this.”
Netflix picked up the show from NBC and Warner Bros. Television for a final fourth season of twenty episodes.
Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria said, “Since its premiere on Netflix in June, Manifest has proven very popular with our members.”
He added, “Jeff Rake and his team have crafted a beguiling mystery that has viewers around the world on the edge of their seats and believing again in second chances, and we’re thrilled that they will bring fans some closure with this final super-sized season.”
‘Manifest’ stars Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long, and Holly Taylor. So far only Dallas and Roxburgh have signed onto the final season.
