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Bad Robot Teams with Mattel On “The Beastlies” Monster Property

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Mattel and Bad Robot have teamed on The Beastlies, the first of several family-friendly world creation original properties, reports Deadline. This one was created by Los Angeles-based sculptor Leslie Levings, and the collaboration came after Bad Robot principal J.J. Abrams pitched it to Mattel president/COO Richard Dickson two years ago when they met on the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Dickson unveiled The Beastlies in Mattel’s presentation to Wall Street analysts this morning.

Neither Dickson nor Abrams would reveal much detail about these bug-eyed colorful creatures or their Beastlies mutli-platform rollout plan, but Bad Robot’s position as a content creator in film, TV and digital, and Mattel’s position in building and marketing global consumer products, hints strongly that big things are ahead for these tiny creatures.

The Beastlies is a passion project we have been working on at Bad Robot for years with the creator of these extraordinary creatures, Leslie Levings. To finally bring The Beastlies to the world, in collaboration with the brilliant minds at Mattel, is an absolute dream,” said Abrams in a statement.

Dickson recalled his first meeting with Abrams on that Star Wars set. “He presented this character concept he believed is aesthetically inspiring and creative, and then we got together the character drawings and creative conversations and that brought us to the point where we could reveal the partnership and concept,” Dickson told Deadline. “The combination of JJ and Bad Robot’s content creator powerhouse abilities and Mattel’s global marketing and branding abilities seemed a strong match for an amazing collaborative effort.”

Dickson wouldn’t say much more specific about the world of The Beastlies, but said that aside from the obvious content avenues to be explored by Bad Robot and consumer products by Mattel, The Beastlies has the potential to encompass merchandising, gaming and live event platforms. He expected these plans to begin launching in earnest by this fall.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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Toys

Alice Cooper Joins the “Music Maniacs” Line from McFarlane Toys

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When you hear the label “Music Maniacs,” a few names probably come to mind. And we’re willing to bet that one of them is Alice Cooper, who is indeed joining McFarlane’s toy line.

McFarlane Toys has announced that their Music Maniacs: Alice Cooper action figure will launch for pre-orders on March 22, and you can get a first look at the upcoming toy below.

The “Music Maniacs” line is a spinoff of McFarlane’s popular “Movie Maniacs” line, which returned to life last year – though the focus is no longer squarely on horror movies.

Alice Cooper is most definitely a Music Maniac but he’s also a Movie Maniac too. As Luiz H.C. wrote on Bloody Disgusting back in 2017, “Cooper’s love of the horror genre goes far beyond his music, as the artist has been involved with several scary movies as well. From John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness to Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, it’s easy to see why the rocker is so iconic in the world of blood, guts, and ghosts. Hell, even Tim Burton’s charming yet lackluster Dark Shadows features an Alice concert as sort of plot point.”

Luiz’s article continued, “However, my favorite of Cooper’s contributions to the world of scary movies was his involvement with the soundtrack for Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. The main attraction was obviously the hit single He’s Back (The Man From Behind The Mask), which was written as a catchy homage to the hockey-mask-wearing killer.”

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