News

We shed a lot of sweat in the heated S.P.A.C.E studio to be able to present the new episode of 🚀 ABGESPACED 🚀 to you today. This time Sven invited Stefan (@lesgrohl) and chatted with him about the coolest new collectibles and the most exciting news from the film world 😄. And our guest also brought something very special, because this episode is about the highly detailed 1/6 figures from Inart among other things!

We have also unpacked two absolute highlights that will leave the Terminator fans among you speechless and on top of that we’ve got a postcard that will really put you in a summer mood, three first looks, new stickers and much more 🤩. So check it out!
https://youtu.be/rkXEafChAcg

20 years ago today, »Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl« premiered at Disneyland Resort, California.

The pirate film as a subgenre of adventure films has a long cinematic tradition. From the silent film era to the golden 50s, the genre was very successful. Stars such as Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster always found their audience as daring pirates. At some point the hype died down. Attempts to revive it, such as Roman Polanski's »Pirates« with Walter Matthau (1986) or »Cutthroat Island« with Geena Davis (1995) flopped and pirates were considered box office poison from then on.

When producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski set out to make a pirate film based on a Disneyland theme park attraction, a lot of people surely shook their heads in disbelief. It couldn't possibly work!

But everything turned out quite differently because of Johnny Depp who created one of the great icons of modern cinema with his portrayal of Jack Sparrow... pardon... Captain Jack Sparrow. According to Depp, pirates were the rock stars of their time, and so he took Keith Richards as his model for the role of the stumbling, mumbling pirate who shouldn't be underestimated.

There are now five films, video games and also a number of merchandising items from LEGO to HOT TOYS. By the way, the Jack Sparrow figures from the 1:6 top dog are among our all time favorites in the figure world.

Of course we’re wondering how the franchise will continue. Will Johnny Depp take command of the Black Pearl again in a sixth installment in the film series? We can hardly imagine »Pirates of the Caribbean« without Jack Sparrow. Many rumors have been circulating in recent years. From a possible reboot of the series with Margot Robbie in the leading role to the possibility of Johnny Depp's return that can no longer be completely ruled out and a gigantic fee offer from the mouse company...

But we’ll have to just wait and see. For now, let’s raise a glass of rum and celebrate the 20th anniversary of »Pirates of the Caribbean«! Savvy?

On Thursday, »The Witcher« returns to the screens, one of the greatest fantasy sagas - but certainly with a bitter aftertaste for many fans, as the main actor Henry Cavill will leave the series after this third season.

According to showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich, this time the plot is based on the second novel in the Witcher saga by Andrzej Sapkowski. We're curious to see how faithfully it actually follows the book after the previous season deviated significantly from the source material.

This much is known: after the events and revelations of season 2, Geralt (Henry Cavill) has to hide his foster daughter Ciri (Freya Allan) from various factions who want to take her all into their power. And as Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) continues to teach her the art of magic, more and more monsters and enemies advance. The trailer and first released scenes are already revealing glimpses of epic battles that await us:
https://youtu.be/SzS8Ao0H6Co
https://youtu.be/2yYoPTzAN7g

The first five episodes will appear on Netflix in two days. After a break of several weeks, the remaining three episodes will follow on July 27th. We look forward to one last reunion with Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.

A new NEXT LEVEL SHOWCASE from Prime 1 has been uploaded yesterday. Our jaws dropped more than once and buckets of drool dripped onto the carpet. It's really almost unbelievable which works of art the Japanese manufacturer is nonchalantly presenting to us once again.

In the Anime/Manga department, we really liked the Kenshiro & Yuria statue from »Fist of the North Star« and the three villains statue from »My Hero Academia«.

There was also total sensory overload at DC Comics. Our highlights are the great Poison Ivy, who, like many characters in the Throne Legacy series, gets her own personal throne. We were also amazed with Everybody's Darling Harley Quinn: »Harley Who Laughs« is a morbid masterpiece. If you like it a little sweeter, grab yourselves the "Carnival of Chaos" statue!

The film statues include three »Terminator« novelties, an Endoskeleton, the T-800 and the T-1000. Awesome! To the delight of all »Harry Potter« fans, Professor Severus Snape is joining them.

Prime 1 Studio is also giving a Legacy Throne to the Grande Dame Alcina Dimitrescu from »Resident Evil Village« in the games category. But we were especially blown away by the very dynamic and dramatic statue of Joel & Ellie from »The Last of Us«.

If your health is up to it, take a look: 
https://youtu.be/4Cwb0ix2KJI

Here is a (not quite) short list of upcoming attractions:

ANIME / MANGA

»Fist of the North Star« - 1:4 Scale Kenshiro & Yuria
»Dragon Ball« -1:4 Scale Frieza
»My Hero Academia« - 1:4 Scale Villians with Tomura Shigaraki, Dabi (Toya) and Himiko Toga
»Saint Seiya« - 1:4 Scale Pegasus Seiya
»Evangelion« - 1:4 Scale Mari Makinami Illustrious
»Berserk« - 1:4 Scale Slan on Throne

DC COMICS

1:4 Scale - Batman vs. Killer Croc
1:4 Scale - Poison Ivy Seduction Throne
1:3 Scale - Harley Who Laughs
1:3 Scale - Dark Nights Metal - Murder Machine
1:4 Scale - Harley Quinn Carnival of Chaos
1:4 Scale - The Joker Carnival of Chaos (on Throne)
1:4 Scale - Superman Fortress of Solitude (on Throne)
Batman Berserk Dark Age Saga

FILMS

»Terminator« - 1:3 Scale Endoskeleton
»Terminator« - 1:3 Scale T-800
»Terminator« - 1:3 Scale T-1000
»Harry Potter« - 1:4 Scale Severus Snape
»Jurassic Park« - 1:6 Scale Velociraptor Male / Female
»Transformers: Rise of the Beasts« - Optimus Primal

GAMES

»Devil May Cry« - 1:4 Scale Dante
»Devil May Cry« - 1:4 Scale Vergil
»Resident Evil Village« - 1:4 Alcina Dimitrescu (on Throne)
»The Witcher« - 1:3 Scale Yennefer
»The Witcher« - 1:3 Scale Ciri
»The Last of Us« - 1:4 Scale Joel & Ellie

We're already bringing you the next episode of 💫 NEUES AUS DEM FIGUREN UNIVERSUM 💫! This one is a bit longer again but it's worth it because we've got a whole firework of awesome collectibles for you 🎆. Among them are several great LOTR pieces from Weta including two incredible Masters Collection Statues, the magical Zatanna Premium Format Figure from Sideshow, the stunning T-1000 Art Masks from PURE ARTS and many more treasures 🤩.

Check it out - now on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/A4R7JVq7J5c

The six-episode Marvel series »Secret Invasion« is released today on Disney+ and brings us a reunion with Nick Fury, of course once again embodied by Mr. Cool Samuel L. Jackson. The trailer has great spy thriller vibes. Who do you trust when you're dealing with a secret invasion by the Skrull, an alien species with shape-shifting abilities? This reminds us pleasantly of good old paranoia cinema:
https://youtu.be/Tp_YZNqNBhw

As we know, the universe and the cinematic MCU in particular is expanding. As a non-hardcore fan it’s easy to lose track of things. If you want to refresh your knowledge about the Skrull topic, you should rewatch »Captain Marvel« and the post-credit scene from »Spider-Man: Far From Home«.

After some disappointing shows, we have a feeling that Marvel has hit the nail on the head with this one. We're also looking forward to the Nick Fury figure from Hot Toys which is sure to come.

Don't you want to know why they call me ...

Nope, not Kraven - it is a second Marvel character besides Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who we will encounter in the latest Sony Spider-Verse flick KRAVEN THE HUNTER. Here's the first trailer:
https://youtu.be/rze8QYwWGMs

That looks basically pretty cool, as we think! Let's keep the fingers crossed that the movie won't fall through the spider web like »Morbius« when hitting cinemas in October.

The Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has been on our cinematographic map for several years. After his multi-nominated and award-winning works »The Lobster«, »The Killing of a Sacred Deer« and »The Favourite«, he now returns to the big screen with »Poor Things«.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by author Alasdair Gray and is the director’s third collaboration with the fantastic Emma Stone, who already featured in »The Favourite« and his short film »Bleat«. It tells the incredible tale of Bella (Stone), a young woman brought back to life after her suicide by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Despite her brain and her body not being in synchronicity, she is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking under Baxter’s custody, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. 

Why don't you check out the trailer:
https://youtu.be/RlbR5N6veqw

We were immediately captivated by this beautifully photographed frankensteinian story and Emma Stone is, as always, an absolute vision. The film hits theaters on September 8th in the US and UK. There is no official German start date yet, but we expect the film to be released in September or October here as well. Will it draw you into the cinema as well?

On Saturday night, Netflix hosted the TUDUM Showcase, this time once again live in front of an audience in São Paulo, Brazil. Actors and creators presented new projects and sequels in statements, interviews, new teasers, trailers and clips. The stream lasted almost three hours and delivered an infomercial for the upcoming Netflix program. Many performances started with a “Hello Brazil!!!” followed by thunderous applause. Everyone was “so excited” to be there and “Shooting was so much fun!”. All in all, the information content was rather meager and so the three hours are primarily a waste of time, filled with irrelevant banalities. If you want to watch it anyway, you can find the stream here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/5QoATGUcCcU

A few interesting clips and trailers were shown though and can now be viewed on Netflix's YouTube page. Here are the biggest highlights in our eyes:

There is a first trailer for the live-action adaptation of »One Piece«. In the past, such projects have unfortunately often failed and never experienced a second season. We’re also rather skeptical in this case. How do you like the trailer? Hit or miss?
https://youtu.be/lNMSqxQtO0w

Some material for the upcoming live-action adaptation of »Avatar: The Last Airbender« was revealed as well although it was just a teaser with a logo animation and a few photos. Somehow we’re asking ourselves, why every good anime always needs a live-action adaptation?
https://youtu.be/QOg9LUIvaig

For »Rebel Moon«, the new sci-fi film by Zack Snyder with Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam and Anthony Hopkins, we got a first behind-the-scenes clip which looks quite interesting. We are very excited for the first real trailer!
https://youtu.be/7nc4TDtogcs

We also found the first trailer for the series »3 Body Problem« interesting. But we’ll have to wait and see, because the two showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss fell out of favor with fans with their last season of »Game of Thrones«. Let's see if they can redeem themselves with their first Netflix production.
https://youtu.be/5lj99Uz1d50

Exclusive scenes from the third seasons of »The Witcher« (https://youtu.be/2yYoPTzAN7g) and »Lupin« (https://youtu.be/2dZwsFJh57Y) were shown.

We got the first trailer for the »Money Heist« prequel »Berlin« to further milk the successful series. Let's wait and see if the spin-off is any good.
https://youtu.be/fpeXTzkoT_k

There was also a surprising message from Linda Hamilton (»Terminator«), who introduced herself as a newcomer to Season 5 of »Stranger Things«. We thought that was really cool!

The collectible forge Iron Studios used the Brazilian home game to present some new figures from »Stranger Things« and »The Witcher«. You can already pre-order them here - but be aware of blood!

Stanley Martin Lieber dreamed of one day writing the great American novel. To earn a living, he took a job as a copy assistant at Timely Comics (later Marvel). Soon he was writing his first comics under the pseudonym Stan Lee, mostly westerns ...

So years passed. Stanley still dreamed of his novel and wanted to quit his job at some point. But with the renaissance of superheroes and the success of the »Justice League of America« in the early 1960s, Lee was commissioned to invent a superhero team. Lee created »The Fantastic Four« with artist Jack Kirby. The rest is history. Later on, »The Incredible Hulk«, »Iron Man«, »Thor«, »X-Men«, »Spider-Man« and so many others followed.

Lee's heroes were far from perfect. They had weaknesses and problems, made mistakes, could argue, have temper tantrums, be vain and fail. In short: they were human. They were heroes that readers could identify with. The comic books matured and Stan Lee wrote comic and later film history.

Launching today, Disney+ and Marvel dedicate the documentation »Stan Lee - His origin story. His legacy. In his own words.« to the Marvel veteran who died in 2018 and who would have celebrated his 100th birthday last year.

Here's a little foretaste:
https://youtu.be/rN45yyu_rCw

This is of course a must for all Marvel fans. In the end, Lee never wrote his great American novel, but he made us incomparably richer with his comic work. EXCELSIOR!

Today, two exciting new movies are hitting cinemas which we’d like to recommend: »The Flash« and »Asteroid City«!

The DC Superhero Movies look back on a mixed history. A few masterpieces, movies that made pop culture history and entertaining films that were fun, but also ones we'd rather forget. The reboot of the DCU under the aegis of James Gunn is just around the corner and »The Flash« lies on the border.

Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past. However, his attempt to save his family leads to a world without superheroes, forcing him to run for his life to save the future ...

If we look at the reviews, we can give the all-clear. According to critics, the film is not without weaknesses, but director Andy Muschietti knows how to create convincing characters, gives them emotional depth and spices the story up with humor. The performances of the actors are also praised. Ezra Miller as double Flash does a surprisingly good job, Sasha Calle as Supergirl probably deserves more screentime. And then, of course, there's Michael Keaton and his return as Batman, which is one of the film's biggest selling points. The film offers good entertainment and gives the fans numerous Easter eggs and a sizeable portion of fan service. The CGI effects however, which are apparently not quite state of the art, were criticized often. That aside, we are looking forward to our movie night.


Wes Anderson's new film »Asteroid City« has also been eagerly awaited. It takes place in the mid-1950s in the fictional small town of the same name, where a congress for young inventors takes place every year. The people who come together in the city for this assembly could not be less alike. And then everything turns out differently than planned, because after an extraterrestrial event, all those gathered are quarantined.

As one is used to from Wes Anderson's works, »Asteroid City« boasts a star-studded cast: Adrien Brody, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton and Tom Hanks are just some of the top-class actors. The director stays true to himself in other ways too, as this film comes with picturesque pastel sets, a sense of symmetry and quirky characters.

As is so often the case, critics seem to be divided here: while some happily say that this is "the most Wes Anderson movie ever", others have had enough of the now well-known aesthetic and decry a lack of substance. Still others praise Anderson's play with multiple meta levels and his witty dialogues. In the end there is only one conclusion: see for yourself 😉!

In episode 3 of 💫 NEUES AUS DEM FIGUREN UNIVERSUM 💫 we crisply present to you our Hot Toys highlights of the last few days. This time, fans of Marvel and DC have lots to discover - including collectibles from the current blockbusters »The Flash« ⚡ and »Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse« 🕷️. On top, we have two eye-catchers from Sideshow that will excite Star Wars and Western fans!

Check it out - now on YouTube 😁!
https://youtu.be/9bEZSbzWU2E

If you are on holiday in the Middle Kingdom right now, we have two event tips for you. Of course, everyone who stayed at home can look at the photos online.

Hot Toys is hosting a major exhibition in Hong Kong until July 9th to celebrate the premiere of The Flash« and the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros.. The sixth scale market leader splashed out on some hyper-realistic life-size statues of The Flash and 7 majestic Batman statues including Keaton's Batman and Batsuits. Plus the whole range of 1:6 figures from the DC films and more. The Batman vehicles are also big eye-catchers here. A Batwing shown appears to be on a smaller scale. We're excited to see if Hot Toys will actually release the flying apparatus. The Batmobile from »The Batman« was shown as well, which Hot Toys has yet to release. It could already be seen on some promotional photos of the Robert Pattinson Batman figure. The collectible figure, his motorcycle, and the Batsignal were all announced at the same time more than a year ago. We sincerely hope that Hot Toys will still release the mega-cool 1969 Dodge Charger.

You can find a video of the event and an album with photos on Hot Toys’ Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/hottoys/videos/1761146971005397/
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=hottoys&set=a.640847338079282

A good nine degrees of latitude to the north, the Shanghai International Film Festival is currently taking place. On the occasion of the festival, the Chinese manufacturer Infinity Studio held a SIFF showcase with some new products. Fans of The Rock, Gal Gadot and the »Fast & Furious« franchise in particular have reason to celebrate here, because miraculously, there are hardly any collectibles worth mentioning from the F&F world. Infinity Studio is now bringing us a cool Hobbs/Dwayne Johnson Statue with a Gatling Gun from »Furious 7«. And Gal Gadot aka Gisele Yashar is posing on her bike.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtYcoBvOoyB/

With »Star Wars Outlaws«, a new game from the Star Wars universe has been announced which will grant fans of the franchise and gamers a long-cherished wish. At least that’s what we’re hoping for!

Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft are venturing into the open world genre and letting us take on the role of Kay Vess. According to the developers the story takes place in between the events of »The Empire Strikes Back« and »Return of the Jedi«. Unfortunately no official release date has been announced yet but it seems like we can expect the launch in 2024. The trailer is definitely making us feel optimistic. What about you?
https://youtu.be/XF0kMT39GNY

In high anticipation and thrilled expectation for the end of June - actually for the theatrical release of »Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny«, the current card from our S.P.A.C.E POSTCARD COLLECTION of course does have Indy as the cover guy on the front!

The motif comes from our dear friend and supporter Timo Mrazek, who is a hardcore Indiana Jones fan and of course lover of action-figures.

For this photo, Timo grabbed the brand-new 6" Indy figure from »Raiders of the Lost Ark« out of the Hasbro Adventure Series. In this scene, Indy is by the way getting attacked by two mean skeletons (from the super articulated Revoltech line from the manufacturer »Kaiyodo«). The stunning diorama, which by Timo is called "Temple of the Unholy Trinity", comes from our mate Markus (@bambino_dioramas) - and it shows up from time to time in Timo's crazy comic and picture books ... and when he lets action-figures talk (@let_actionfigures_talk).

You still have time for the rest of June to secure yourself a free copy of this cool postcard 😉!

In the second episode 💫 NEUES AUS DEM FIGUREN UNIVERSUM 💫 we recap the most exciting new collectibles of the last days for you! This time the focus is mainly on Iron Studios, who brought us superheroes, horror icons and our current product of the month. But there are also great collectibles for manga and anime fans and for the grand finale we can present to you two amazing statues from Prime 1 Studio 😍!

The video is now online on our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/aTgxeKfVcBU
 

A mysterious sculpture of a hand is circulating in a small Australian town. With it, whole groups of friends put themselves in a trance one after the other and summon the dead from the afterlife. Videos of obsessed classmates also arouse the curiosity of best friends Mia and Jade: the two decide to take part in a séance themselves. But when Mia's deceased mother uses the hand to contact her, the game turns deadly serious. The rules of the ritual have been broken - the door to the spirit world is ajar...

This is the plot of »Talk to Me«, which Capelight Pictures and A24 will bring to the cinemas end of July. Here’s the first trailer:
https://youtu.be/aLAKJu9aJys

At first glance, we weren't particularly impressed by the work of the Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. We wrongly almost ignored the horror thriller of the two YouTubers and wrote it off as “ordinary teenage horror crap”. But when the A24 logo appears in the opening credits, that should make us prick up our ears. Australia also has a pretty good reputation for original horror flicks. And when the film finally took the renowned Sundance Festival by storm and critics praised it for a high degree of originality, it was clear that we should see the film because it seems to have more up its sleeve than the trailer suggests.

Also check out this video about the Philippou twins: 
https://youtu.be/4gqwOSqx4wI

The three-part miniseries »Arnold« has been running on NETFLIX since Wednesday. Titled »Athlete«, »Actor«, and »American«, the series tells the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from a childhood in the dreariness of post-war Austria to bodybuilding champion, multiple Mr. Universum and Mr. Olympia, to an unprecedented film career and superstardom, and finally to his political career as governor of California.

In addition to the voices of some companions from sports, showbiz and politics, it is above all Arnold himself who tells us his story - with sparkling eyes, his inevitable Cuban cigar in the corner of his mouth, and a lot of mischievous charm. Arnold is the hero of his story. He is the American dream incarnate. We experience a great narrator who skillfully hooks us up and we are only too happy to follow his hero's journey. Thoughtful moments are also interspersed, but without damaging the narrative too much.

It is also exciting to see the archive material with some previously unseen recordings from Arnold's private fund. For film fans, the middle part is the highlight of the three-part series. We really would have wished for more here. But the main points of his film career are mentioned, from his unintentionally comic appearance under the name Arnold Strong in »Hercules in New York«, his cast as a bodybuilder in »Stay Hungry«, early TV gems like an appearance in »The Streets of San Francisco«, his breakthrough as »Conan the Barbarian« and of course the first two »Terminator« films. Comedies like »Twins«, »Last Action Hero« and »True Lies« are also mentioned. Perhaps the less successful films are neglected and it's a pity that films from his post-gouvenor era didn't participate.

For Arnold Schwarzenegger fans, the series is of course an absolute must. And the good three hours fly by. Of course, the documentary could have shed some more critical or self-critical light on some things and here and there it only scratches the surface. But it's up to us as viewers whether we actually buy everything Arni tells us. This (self-)portrait is definitely entertaining.

Did you have on the radar that the 3rd part of the action-flick »The Expendables« is already almost 10 years old? And did you have on the radar that part 4 was not only confirmed, but in the meantime already wrapped up?? We did, a bit at least - even more surprising was the drop of the first trailer of »Expend4bles«, the fourth movie of this - as we think - really cool, funny and die hard action series:
https://youtu.be/DhlaBO-SwVE

On board are for example Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Andy Garcia, 50 Cent and Sylvester Stallone, as well as some female enpowers with Megan Fox and Levy Tran! We love it - and we're really looking forward to the end of September when »Expend4bles« will hit cinemas!

»Transformers: Rise of the Beasts«, a new installment of the Transformers Franchise is hitting cinemas. The sci-fi action movie is based on Hasbro’s Transformers toy line. It’s the seventh part of the series and is supposed to be both a sequel to »Bumblebee« and a prequel to the first Transformers film from 2007.

The story takes place in 1994 when Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback) become entangled in a chaotic conflict between different races of Transformers. The Autobots and the Maximals join as allies to fight against an evil divine power.

The first reviews of the film are very mixed, but overall it seems to convince only a few voices. And the criticism isn't new in this case either: after the potential for an interesting story was at least partially exhausted in the first Transformers film, the quality of the franchise has been on the decline for a long time. So it's not surprising that this part offers a lot of spectacle and little substance as usual. Praise went to the visual effects, which are quite impressive thanks to a decent budget of $200 million, and the star-studded (voice) cast which includes Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh and Peter Dinklage among others.