Following the first season proving a surprise cultural sensation and critical/commercial hit, Crave and HBO Max have revealed two key additions to the cast of its ice hockey/romance drama “Heated Rivalry”.
Charlie Gillespie (“Julie and the Phantoms,” “One Night Only”) has been cast as Troy Barrett, a professional hockey player who is traded to the Ottawa Centaurs and described as a “grumpy recovering bully”. Meanwhile, Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”) has been cast as Harris Drover, the team’s extraverted social media manager.
Both will be secondary lead roles alongside those of returning stars Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander.
The show is based on Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” novels, which shifted the focus between various characters. The first season is based primarily on the second novel “Heated Rivalry” about Shane & Ilya.
However, parts of the first novel “Game Changer” about the relationship between hockey player Scott Hunter (Francois Arnaud) and barista Kip Grady (Robbie GK), became the focus of one episode, along with a B plot sprinkled throughout the other episodes (including the famous fifth episode ending).
The new season is expected to primarily adapt the sixth book, “The Long Game,” which returns the focus to Shane and Ilya, with the Troy & Harris-centric fifth book, “Role Model,” likely to be the B plot this time.
Showrunner Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady say in a release:
“Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for. From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen. Justice and Charlie do exactly that. They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”
The second season will shift the action primarily to Ottawa where Russian hockey player Ilya has moved to be closer to his now-boyfriend Shane. Now in a committed relationship with one another, they have to learn how to build a life together while hiding their true feelings for one another in public.
Tierney created, wrote and directed the first season and is returning for the second. Launched in November, the series made near-instant stars of Williams and Storrie and even led to increases in NHL crowd attendance.
Filming begins later this month for a Spring 2027 release.
Source: THR
