Kit Connor and Joe Locke. Screenshot via Netflix’s Facebook.
Netflix and British-Australian film and television production company See-Saw Films have announced that the new season of hugely popular LGBTQ+ coming-of-age series “Heartstopper” will be back on August 3.
Based on Alice Oseman’s beloved graphic novel series of the same name, season two sees leads Nick and Charlie navigate their new relationship, played by Kit Connor and Joe Locke, while William Gao’s Tao and Yasmin Finney’s Ellework out if they can ever be more than just friends. With exams on the horizon, a school trip to Paris and a prom to plan, the gang has a lot to juggle as they journey through the next stages of life, love and friendship.
While details surrounding the new season are kept as hush-hush as Fisayo Akinade’s (Mr. Ajayi) art skills, fans can get a taste of what’s to come by reading Alice Oseman’s beloved graphic novel series — especially Volume 3.
“Season 2 is based on Volume 3,” Oseman told Netflix on the set of “Heartstopper.” “So we had a good foundation. But there’s not enough in the book to take a whole season of TV, so there had to be a lot of creation of new stuff.”
Newly minted boyfriends Charlie and Nick are ready to explore their relationship further in Season 2. “Charlie goes on more of a journey this season. His story’s a bit more mature,” says Locke.
The rest of the first season’s squad will also be back to brush up against even more “Heartstopper” moments of queer joy and discovery, including Finney, Gao, Brown, Edgell, Sebastian Croft (Ben), Tobie Donovan (Isaac), Rhea Norwood (Imogen), Cormac Hyde-Corrin (Harry) and Jenny Walser (Tori).
Akinade, Chetna Pandya (Coach Singh), Alan Turkington (Mr. Lange) and Olivia Colman (as Nick’s mum, Sarah) will also return as the adults shepherding these young teens toward who they’re meant to be.
Reflecting on cast dynamics, executive producer Patrick Walters told Tudum on set that “it’s really gorgeous because they’re such a bonded gang in the comic and in the scripts that [Alice] wrote. And then you have these actors who are also equally bonded and love each other so much. It’s an energy of friendship on set, whenever the actors are there and a whole big gang. It’s really nice.”
There are plenty of fresh faces that will be joining the “Heartstopper” cast for season 2 as well, including Leila Khan as Higgs student Sahar Zahid and Nima Taleghani as Truham teacher Mr. Farouk. Both of them pop up in the behind-the-scenes video above. Bradley Riches (who played a Truham student in Season 1) will also return as James McEwan. We’ll meet more of Nick’s family in Season 2, including Jack Barton as Nick’s older brother, David, and Thibault de Montalembert as Nick’s father, Stephane. Bel Priestley as Naomi and Ash Self as Felix will both play new friends of Elle.
Heartstopper:
- Series 1 has a 100% Critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is ‘certified fresh’ [Source: Rotten Tomatoes]
- It reached the Netflix Top Ten list in 54 countries [Source: Netflix Top 10]
- The Heartstopper graphic novel series has sold over 8 million copies, been published in 35 countries worldwide and featured in the international bestseller charts, achieving #1 spots on both The Sunday Times and The New York Times bestseller lists
Heartstopper Season 2
- Premiere date: 3rd August
- Episodes: 8
- Production Company: See-Saw Films
- Written and Created by: Alice Oseman
- Director: Euros Lyn
- Executive Producers: Patrick Walters, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Alice Oseman, Euros Lyn
- Cast: Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Sebastian Croft, Tobie Donovan, Rhea Norwood, Jenny Walser, Cormac Hyde-Corrin and Olivia Colman
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com
