Netflix has announced the cast of Heartstopper, its upcoming LGBTQ+ series based on the graphic novel by Alice Oseman.

Produced by See-Saw Films the series will take place at a British all-boys grammar school and follows Charlie Spring, who is openly gay, and Nick Nelson, a rugby player, as they develop feelings for one another.

It was previously announced that Joe Locke and Kit Connor have been cast as the Charlie and Nick, respectively.

Oseman said in a statement at the time: “Nick and Charlie have existed as characters for almost a decade, and are two of my most beloved characters, so I was slightly apprehensive about the casting search, but I am so happy and excited that we’ve cast Kit and Joe.

“They’re both so talented, sweet, funny, and smart, and so perfect. It has been such fun getting to know them and welcoming them into the Heartstopper universe, and I can’t wait to see them bring the characters to life on screen.”

In an announcement on 21 January, Netflix confirmed the rest of the cast that will be appearing in the highly anticipated series.

William Gao will appear as Tao Xu, Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent, Corinna Brown as Tara Jones, Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson, Sebastian Croft as Ben Hope, Cormac Hyde-Corrin as Harry Greene, Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney, Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson, Jenny Walser as Tori Spring, Fisayo Akinade as Mr Ajayi, Chetna Pandya as Coach Singh and Alan Turkington as Mr Lange.

Originally a webcomic on Tumblr and Tapas, Heartstopper has amassed an enormous online fanbase with over 46.8 million views to date.

Oseman crowd-funded for a limited print run edition, meeting her funding goal in less than two hours.

A launch date for the series is expected imminently, though Netflix’s announcement on Instagram said we can expect to see it on the platform “this spring.”

Heartstopper Volume 5 (the final in the series of novels) is scheduled for publication on 2 February 2023.

 

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