Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman has revealed a new update on the highly anticipated movie finale, Heartstopper Forever, confirming that the film will not be released before the final graphic novel in the series.
Speaking at the London Book Fair on Tuesday (10 March), Oseman told Deadline that the upcoming film will arrive only after the final instalment of the Heartstopper books has been published.
“It won’t be coming out before the book,” Oseman said.
“It was so important to me that the book comes out first, so people can experience the end of the story in the book. The series was the adaptation, not the other way around.”
Final Book Release Dates Confirmed
The sixth and final graphic novel, Heartstopper Volume 6, is scheduled for release on 2 July in the UK, followed by 7 July around the world.
That means fans will need to wait until after those dates before the film arrives on Netflix.
Both the graphic novels and the television series have followed the romance between Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), two teenagers navigating friendship, love and growing up.
What Heartstopper Forever Will Explore
The upcoming film will draw from Heartstopper Volume 6 as well as the novella Nick and Charlie, focusing on the next chapter in the couple’s relationship.
According to the official synopsis, the story will see the pair facing the reality of a possible long-distance relationship.
“Nick and Charlie are inseparable, but with Nick preparing to leave for university and Charlie finding new independence at school, the reality of a long-distance relationship begins to weigh on them.”
“Doubts take hold, and their relationship faces its biggest challenge yet. Meanwhile, their friends are also navigating the ups and downs of love and friendship, confronting the bittersweet challenges of growing up and moving on. Can first loves really last forever?”
Final Stages of Production
Oseman also shared that the film is nearing completion, with only final post-production work remaining.
“We are literally days away from it being finished,” she said.
“We are doing the final little bits of VFX and animation, and hopefully by the end of next week it is going to be sent to be dubbed in various languages and quality-checked by Netflix, but my work on it will be done.”
Filming took place last summer, with stars Joe Locke and Kit Connor spotted shooting scenes at Leeds train station — suggesting that Nick may attend Leeds University in the story.
A Big Year Ahead for Heartstopper
While the movie marks the conclusion of the beloved Netflix series, Oseman previously admitted she feels nervous about how fans will respond to the ending.
“I’m very nervous and scared about what you’ll think of it… but that’s probably normal!” she said in December.
“2026 will be a big year for Heartstopper.”
