Production Begins On Netflix's Adaptation Of "Heartstopper"

The Netflix adaptation for gay teen romance Heartstopper is officially filming, with Kit Connor (best known for starring in productions such as His Dark Materials and Rocketman) and newcomer Joe Locke confirmed as the leads Nick and Charlie!

If you don't know about Heartstoppers, this Netflix show is based on a series of young adult graphic novels and tells the story of Nick and Charlie (Locke and Connor), two British teens at an all-boys grammar school. Charlie, a high-strung, openly gay overthinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, one day are made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised. Initially written as a spin-off to her debut novel Solitaire, Alice Oseman's graphic novel series has captured readers' hearts and is now set to be brought to life on screen.

The first season is expected to focus on the first graphic novel, which introduces the teenage boys in the early stages of their friendship and eventual romance. Creator and Writer Alice Oseman is absolutely thrilled with the casting for Charlie and Nick:

“Nick and Charlie have existed as characters for almost a decade, and are two of my most beloved characters, so I was slightly apprehensive about the casting search, but I am so happy and excited that we've cast Kit and Joe. They're both so talented, sweet, funny, and smart, and so perfect. It has been such fun getting to know them and welcoming them into the Heartstopper universe, and I can’t wait to see them bring the characters to life on screen.”

Eight episodes of a Heartstopper live-action adaptation were commissioned by Netflix in January 2021, with Oseman writing all eight scripts and See-Saw Films producing. The series will also be directed by Euros Lyn, who is best known for his work on Sherlock and Doctor Who. Lyn added his thoughts on the casting and that he “can’t imagine a more perfect pair than Kit and Joe to play Nick and Charlie, and bring their joyous love story to life on-screen”.

An expansive open-casting audition process took place that saw over 10,000 people take part. Now, Oseman has officially revealed the main supporting cast of Heartstopper on Twitter, including Yasmin Finney, a 17-year-old Black trans actress, who was recently cast in Billy Porter’s directorial debut What If?. They will be joined by more notable newcomers William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Cormac Hyde-Corrin, Tobie Donovan, and Rhea Norwood with Game Of Thrones alumni Sebastian Croft rounding up this talented cast. See the full cast with a guide to who's playing who below:

This series has been praised for its portrayal of a gay romance and how Osman tackles mental health through one of the main protagonists. So far, fans have been praising the casting choices and the screenwriter/author confirmed the introduction of two characters that are new for the television series.

As production started on the first episode this week, there is no set release date yet of when Heartstopper will hit screens. I would predict based on the hype of Bridgerton, Netflix would probably aim to release Season One during autumn/winter 2021 or quite possibly a 2022 release - again, this is just guesswork on my part. Heartstopper continues to be updated online three times a month and has been published in three physical volumes, with a fourth volume set to be released on 13th May 2021. So if you're dying to know what happens to Nick and Charlie - get reading, people!

Filming is set to continue now and wrap at the end the end of the summer. I'll make sure to keep you all posted if there's any further news of Heartstopper.