Heartstopper - General Discussion

[scmian]

Netflix is to adapt YA graphic novel Heartstopper as an eight-part series with Doctor Who and Sherlock helmer Euros Lyn attached to direct.

The half-hour series will be written by Oseman, who previously published YA novels including Solitaire, Radio Silence and I Was Born For This!.

Heartstopper tells the story of Nick and Charlie, two British teens at an all-boys grammar school. Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, who 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. Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger.

deadline.com/2021/01/hearstopper-netflix-alice-oseman-order-euros-lyn-1234676286/

[kellerbrady]

Finally some gay drama in the West.

[justinate]

Thanks for the heads-up, it definitely looks promising.

Jan 20, 2021 11:41:42 GMT -5 kellerbrady said:

Finally some gay drama in the West.

We have "It's A Sin" premiering this week, but yeah, we've been light on gay-led content in the West. Has there actually been anything this past year besides Love, Victor and Everything's Going to be Okay (both from the US)? There were supposed to be two reboots of Queer as Folk (one of them French) which seem to have dropped off the radar.

[dmagiclight]

when does it come out

[mizuryuu]

The just announced it and haven't even started casting as far as I can tell. So won't be out for a long time. Need to find the cast, write the script, film everything with covid protocol. End of the year at the earliest, probably.

[scmian]

Found the casting online



Info & Intimacy Statement
See-Saw Films is making an 8 x 30’ live-action YA drama series, HEARTSTOPPER based on the renowned graphic novel series, for Netflix.

The series is an LGBTQI+ look at life for the current generation of young teens.

It has an ensemble cast, made up of young gay, lesbian, bi and trans characters, placed firmly in the spotlight.

The show seeks to deliver all the fireworks of teen life, the sparks of first love, the anxieties of school… every facet of being a teenager in the UK.

The tone is celebratory and uplifting, seeking to create positive same-sex role models and relationships, all while eschewing darkness and angst.

The roles will require on-screen kissing. Our approach to the on-screen romance is faithful to the graphic novels which can be viewed online at: tapas.io/series/Heartstopper

There is physical affection between the characters, and this involves passionate kissing and hugging at specific moments in their romances.

Our aim is to realistically portray the emotional complexities of young love and romance, whilst never tipping into anything provocative.

There will be an intimacy co-ordinator to make sure these moments are planned out and fit within these parameters

[sunshine0786]

You can read the graphic novel(s?) here: tapas.io/episode/428109
It is still being updated, they literally updated today.

[justinate]

I didn't realize they required an intimacy coordinator for just kissing scenes. I can understand the need during nude scenes or simulated sex but kissing? What kind of kissing do they think actors will do? Even openly gay actors are reluctant to go full French on-screen. It feels like someone is making easy money here.

[antistatic]

The cast of the live-action adaptation has been announced.

Kit Connor and Joe Locke will give life to Nick and Charlie, the two students who are slowly falling in love.

[mizuryuu]

Interesting. Don't know enough about Heartstopper to know how well they fit the characters. Hope it all works out well

[justinate]

Full cast has been announced.

http://instagram.com/p/COIIc5ULbwg

[mizuryuu]

Wow... the development for this show seems to be going at breakneck sped. Surprised the casting finished so quickly

[justinate]

I think they want to capture some of the Love, Victor audience from Hulu. Gay teen romance obviously has tremendous appeal, as proven by the devotion of fans to even some of the weakest representation on shows like Riverdale or Teen Wolf.

You can actually follow the comic on Webtoons for free:
www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/heartstopper/list?title_no=329660&page=1

It's a work in progress. Updates are posted on the 1st, 11th and 21st of each month. I just discovered it over the weekend and read it all night to catch up to the latest update. I thought it was going to be light-hearted fluff - and it certainly was that at the beginning - but it gets surprisingly deep as time goes on, with in-depth exploration of topical social issues around male mental health.

Not sure how many volumes will make up the first season of the show, or how faithful the adaptation will be. The comics have the very occasional diversion to supporting characters, but I'd say roughly 90% of airtime focuses on either one or both of the leads. And the cast is pretty diverse. The leads' friends include a Black trans girl, an Asian boy, another gay boy (this character does not appear to be part of the casting announcement), the out character's ex, and a lesbian couple (one of whom is Black), as well as LGBTQ+ non-white teachers in supporting roles (also not in the announcement - nor are the leads' parents and siblings).

[justinate]

Alice Oseman has announced that the latest chapter of Heartstopper (6-16, published yesterday) will be the last for a while, as she concentrates on the Netflix adaptation which is currently in production. No definite date to resume what looks to be the conclusion of the comic.

[justinate]

Sebastian Croft has posted about wrapping filming on Heartstopper - I'm not clear if it's just his role or production as a whole that's wrapped.

http://instagram.com/p/CQJqUqWHOMN

[mizuryuu]

Didn't they *just* announced the cast. That is a quick turnaround for finishing a season. Hope that doesn't mean this will be some kind of 3 ep mini-series or something

[justinate]

Jun 21, 2021 5:57:30 GMT -5 mizuryuu said:

Didn't they *just* announced the cast. That is a quick turnaround for finishing a season. Hope that doesn't mean this will be some kind of 3 ep mini-series or something

The first season will consist of eight half-hour episodes, so two episodes less than Love, Victor, and works out to about 4 hour-long episodes. I think they already had production set up when they made the casting announcement and were able to start filming immediately, so about 2 months of production. But yes, that is remarkably short. They still have to do post-production though and maybe reshoots. Hopefully this means it might debut before the end of the year. I have my fingers crossed that it'll be a hit and we get more seasons. It would go a long way towards normalizing gay lives for a wide audience. And the cast seems really tight, which is always a plus.

I'm a little worried about the number of supporting characters they've crammed into the story, including a couple invented just for the show. That, to me, has been the biggest failing of Love, Victor - too much focus on side characters to the neglect of the leads, Victor and Benji. One of the biggest plus points of the Heartstopper comic for me was how focused it was on its queer male leads and their relationship. Practically every scene was about them, even when they weren't in it. That kind of sharp focus is ideal for the half-hour format, which is where Love, Victor stumbles and I was hoping these guys would improve upon. It doesn't look like it, but hopefully I'm wrong.

[justinate]

Official confirmation from the show that they have wrapped production on season 1. Maybe Sebastian Croft ended filming his scenes a little bit earlier - I don't see him in these photos.

http://instagram.com/p/CQeWnvsrTMK

[mizuryuu]

Any word on release date? Would it come out this year or next?

[justinate]

Kit Connor (who plays Nick) has been named by the Guardian as one of the hottest new TV stars of 2022. Hopefully the show lives up to the hype and garners a strong following that secures it more seasons.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/31/call-their-agents-the-hottest-new-tv-stars-of-2022

Still no word on when the show will come out but obviously it will be this year. (Unless the Guardian is completely off the mark naming Kit a hottest star of 2022 for his role in this series!) I just hope we won't be waiting until Pride Month (which will be a full year since production wrapped) in some silly bid to compete with season 3 of Love, Victor.

Meanwhile Alice Oseman has resumed the comic with the first part of Chapter 7 being posted today. (Presumably she'll be back to releasing installments on a weekly basis from here on out, unless she is taken up with writing the second season of the TV show.)
www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/heartstopper/7-1/viewer?title_no=329660&episode_no=168

[jjose712]

It's a very hyped show, and unlike Love, Víctor there seem to be representation on the show (Joe and Sebastian seem to be dating)

[kellerbrady]

Any idea of when will they release this?

[justinate]

Jan 11, 2022 16:41:43 GMT -5 kellerbrady said:

Any idea of when will they release this?

They just announced "Spring 2022" - so anytime between March and May (I suspect the latter, or they would have a more definite date/month to give us).

[justinate]

Handy guide to the cast, as well as answering questions on the new characters Isaac and Imogen, as well as the absence of the comic character Aled.

http://instagram.com/p/CZCildlo6pv

[westwolf]

Oh wow, I actually saw this book at Barnes & Noble not too long ago. Didn't know it was being made into a series.