Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams have been photographed together in Toronto as production on the queer hockey drama’s second season approaches.
The actors will return as rival hockey players and secret lovers Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, with filming expected to begin shortly across Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
Season two will continue adapting Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels. According to Reid, the programme will draw from both Role Model and The Long Game.
The Long Game focuses on the pressures surrounding Ilya and Shane’s decade-long secret relationship, while Role Model introduces another queer hockey romance between player Troy Barrett and Ottawa Centaurs social media manager Harris Drover.
Harris is cheerful, openly gay and optimistic, while Troy hides his sexuality behind a guarded and often miserable exterior. Their slow-burning relationship brings a grumpy-meets-sunshine dynamic to the series.
Online rumours have linked queer actor Justice Smith to the role of Harris, although neither Smith nor the programme’s producers have confirmed his involvement.
Canadian actor Jack Innanen was previously rumoured to be playing Troy. However, he has since said he will not appear in season two because of a scheduling conflict. Troy’s casting therefore remains unknown.
Fans are also hoping for the return of Scott Hunter and Christopher “Kip” Grady, played by François Arnaud and Robbie Graham-Kuntz. Complete casting details have not yet been announced.
Series creator, writer and director Jacob Tierney will return for the new season, which is expected to preserve the emotional intimacy, humour and explicit storytelling that helped make the first instalment a breakout success.
With Storrie and Williams now together in Toronto and production drawing closer, fans may not have long to wait for the first official glimpse of season two.
