Netflix Releases First Image from 'Heartstopper's Feature Film Set

Most cultural critics measure the current moment in our streaming landscape dating from one of two significant milestones: the CBS lawsuit against YouTube and the launch of Hulu circa 2006-2007, or Netflix's launch of House of Cards Season 1 in February 2013. I want to add another: The 2021 announcement that Netflix had picked up See-Saw Film's planned adaptation of Alice Osman's queer love story, Heartstopper, after the stunning success of Bridgerton Season 1 over the 2020 holiday season.

The LGBTQ+ love story, which began as an online comic on Tumblr, was not typical adaptation material. The comic dealt with homophobia and eating disorders, fueled by deeply felt angst, and was primarily aimed at a specific subset of teen and twenty-something fangirls, but found instant success by willingly following the source material without softening its edges. Main stars Joe Locke and Kit Connor, as teen lovebirds Charlie and Nick, have become household names and have gone on to star in other high-profile projects, such as Agatha All Along and Warfare, respectively. Meanwhile, co-star Yasmin Finney is now a regular on Doctor Who.

Between the actors moving on to adult-level careers and the series running up on the comic's final installment, Netflix made the call to wrap the story up with a single feature-length film. TV shows can take six months to a year to film, whereas a movie typically takes around six weeks, making the latter much easier to reassemble a cast for production. This allows the series more post-production time and ensures the final installment has the opportunity to wrap up all threads.