EXCLUSIVE: Heated Rivalry fans who have been eagerly awaiting Season 2 of Crave‘s hockey series are in for a great surprise. The hugely popular romantic drama starring Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams has not one but two six-episode seasons on the way, sources tell Deadline. And that’s not all, there is a movie coming up, too.
The two seasons are currently filming back-to-back, sources said. As they wrap at the end of November or beginning of December, a standalone Heated Rivalry film will shoot in December, I hear. Described as a Christmas special or a holiday-themed episode, it is planned for a theatrical release next December, I’m told. According to sources, Storrie’s Ilya and Williams’ Shane are not in it. Details are murky but I hear it is centered on the other Season 1 couple, Scott (François Arnaud) and Kip (Robbie G.K.), with additional characters from the series also featured.
It’s worth noting that Rachel Reid, the author of the bestselling Game Changers book series that Heated Rivalry is based on, has written a short story, Merry Christmas, Scott and Kip!, which depicts the duo’s first Christmas together.
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A rep for Canadian streamer Crave said that there are no projects to confirm.
Speculation that Heated Rivalry may be filming two seasons back-to-back has percolated for a while, fueled by a leaked August Cameo video by recurring guest star Dylan Walsh in which he said “I think we’re doing 12 [episodes] this time” before briefly writing in his profile that “a video went viral that got me in trouble.”
Some interpreted his comments as Season 2 being supersized. Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney last month debunked that theory, confirming to Andy Cohen that like Season 1, Season 2 will consist of 6 episodes. Neither he nor Crave have acknowledged a Season 3 pickup but Tierney said in the same SiriusXM interview with Cohen that they will be done filming by the end of the year without specifying what exactly the shoot covers.
As for theatrical distribution, Heated Rivalry, which streams on HBO Max in the U.S. and several other key territories, has dabbled in that. The series’ six-episode first season is currently available for a limited run at Regal Cinema, AMC and Cinemark locations for paired-episode screenings. As of Saturday morning, 880 theaters reported collecting $420K on Friday in what looks to be a strong $1.3M opening weekend.
Season 2 of Heated Rivalry is confirmed to premiere in spring 2027, with April launch likely.
It’s been almost a year since the ice hockey romance premiered on Nov. 28, taking pop culture by storm and turning actors Storrie and Williams from complete unknowns to global superstars overnight.
After Season 1 adapted Book 2, Heated Rivalry, which chronicles the budding romance between rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), while also incorporating elements from Book 1, Game Changer (featuring Scott and Kip), Season 2 is expected to continue Shane and Ilya’s story by tackling Book 6, The Long Game, while also introducing a new couple from Role Model, Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, played by Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie, respectively and possibly incorporating elements from other tomes in the series.
Emily Hampshire, Brendan Morgan, David Tomlinson and Lauren Chan are among the new cast additions announced for Season 2.
An interesting stunt here for Crave’s Heated Rivalry: Regal via their Regal Entertainment Distribution is releasing paired season one episodes of the hit Bell/HBO series this weekend.