Starz (start your free trial!) has released the official extended trailer and key art today for its new Heels series, which is set in the world of independent professional wrestling.
The new Starz original series will premiere worldwide on Sunday, August 15 across all STARZ platforms, including at 9 PM ET/PT on STARZ in the U.S. and Canada, and will air day and date internationally on the STARZPLAY premium streaming platform across its complete footprint in Europe, Latin America and Japan.
Heels is written and created by executive producer Michael Waldron (Loki, the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) with executive producer Mike O’Malley (Shameless, Survivor’s Remorse) as showrunner.
The series stars Stephen Amell (Arrow) as Jack Spade, with Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games, Vikings) playing his younger brother, Ace. Peter Segal (Get Smart, 50 First Dates, Tommy Boy, Shameless), who directs several episodes, also serves as executive producer.
Starz also announced Heels will be part of [email protected] 2021 on Friday, July 23 at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET with a panel featuring Waldron, O’Malley and the cast, along with a never-before-seen sneak peek.
Heels is a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals war over their late father’s legacy.
In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to – or hard to leave behind.
The drama series also stars Alison Luff as Staci Spade, Jack’s wife who learns that she has to contend with the emotional stakes her in-laws have invested in their wrestling goals and the demands it puts on her family; and Mary McCormack as Willie Day, Jack’s business partner and the logistrical brains behind the local wrestling organization.
Also starring are Kelli Berglund as Crystal Tyler, Ace’s valet and love interest; and Allen Maldonado as Rooster Robbins, one of the best wrestlers in the circuit who always has something to prove and always backs it up.
The cast is rounded out by two-time Super Bowl champion James Harrison as Apocalypse, a been-around-the-block journeyman wrestler who’s been at it for decades and has no illusions of fame or glory; and Chris Bauer as Wild Bill Hancock, a larger-than-life former wrestling star who is now a high-level pro wrestling scout.
Along with Waldron, O’Malley and Segal, LBI Entertainment’s Julie Yorn (Hell or High Water, White Boy Rick, The Dirt), Christopher Donnelly and Patrick Walmsley will also serve as Executive Producers.
Heels is produced by Lionsgate TV for STARZ in association with Paramount Television Studios.
Senior Vice President of Original Programming Samantha Offsay Nissen and Director of Original Programming Alex Alberts are the executives overseeing Heels on behalf of Starz.
Director of Original Programming Jade-Addon Hall is the executive overseeing the Heels series on behalf of Lionsgate.
