‘Arrow’ Star Stephen Amell Reveals First Look at New Wrestling Drama ‘Heels’

Following the end of Arrow’s eight-season run on the CW Network, star Stephen Amell landed a very different role. He joined the wrestling-centric series Heels on STARZ. Now he has provided a brief glimpse into his new world.

Amell posted a photo on social media Monday that showed a set of dumbbells next to a rough-looking wall. He focused on a banner that reads “Welcome to the Heels Gymnasium.” Amell didn’t caption the photo, but he created considerable excitement among his fans on social media. Several responded and proclaimed that they can’t wait for the new series to begin. Although they also asked Amell to “train safely” and avoid injuries.

Heels revolves around the men and women trying to build careers in professional wrestling. The show is set in a Georgia community and follows a family-owned wrestling promotion. Amell plays the heel Jack Spade while Alexander Ludwing plays his brother and the hero character, Ace Spade. The two brothers clash over their late father’s legacy while facing off in the ring.

The cast also includes actor Allen Maldonado, who recently spoke exclusively to PopCulture.com and provided some insight into the show. He said that filming will begin in September and that the cast has already done two weeks of training. Amell is currently in Georgia preparing, and Maldonado should join him shortly.

“I’m excited to get down there and get to playing and get to wrestling,” he told PopCulture. “We started wrestling training two weeks before we were all quarantined. I tell you those two weeks were a blast, just taking the bumps and just learning all of the moves and just learning how not fake wrestling is. When you take those real hits and real slaps and real bumps, it is not fake.”

Not much is known about the various characters on Heels, but Maldonado has provided some insight. He confirmed that his character’s name is Rooster and that he will work opposite Amell in some capacity. Maldonado also explained that his character is very acrobatic.

“He’s the high-flying act, jumping off the top ropes, flipping off of people, flipping out of the ring, flipping into the ring, a la the character name of Rooster,” Maldonado said. “He’s got a chip on his shoulder as a wrestler, so he also has to fend for himself, even though he feels the most talented out of the bunch.”

Loki showrunner Michael Waldron serves as the writer for Heels, which also stars Alison Luff, Chris Bauer and James Harrison. The eight-episode series will air on STARZ. However, no release date is available due to the pause in production amid the COVID-19 pandemic.