Heartstopper film will ‘diverge’ from books, says Alice Oseman
Heartstopper is coming to an end in 2026 – both on screen and on the page. (Netflix/Heartstopper)
Heartstopper is coming to an end in 2026 - both on screen and on the page. (Netflix/Heartstopper)
Heartstopper fans, listen up! Alice Oseman says the Heartstopper film, Heartstopper Forever, will “diverge from the events of volume six.”
In a panel over the weekend, the author and illustrator noted that she had difficulty navigating Nick and Charlie’s story in Heartstopper Volume Six. So, they took a different approach for the film.
On Sunday (17 August), Oseman was interviewed at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. She was speaking about the adaptation of her graphic novels, the sixth and final volume of which is expected to be published in late 2025.
The Heartstopper story has followed the queer high-school romance of Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke).
Oseman has also penned all three seasons of the Netflix show and Heartstopper Forever, the conclusion to the Heartstopper universe. The movie wrapped filming in July, the plot and exact release date are being kept under wraps for now.
However, the story is expected to follow how Nick and Charlie deal with Nick’s departure for university.
During her Edinburgh appearance, Oseman offered up some exclusive details related to the movie adaptation.
“We’ve just finished shooting the movie, it is based on volume six,” they explained. “It’s also based on the Nick and Charlie novella.”
Volume Six is set to continue to follow the couple as they navigate the last years of high school. Meanwhile, the novella, Nick and Charlie, is set as Nick prepares to move away from the university.
‘there will still be quite a few surprises in the movie waiting for you’
Oseman continued: “Well, in the film, I have found a different way to approach this problem, and so there is a point in the movie where we slightly diverge from the events of volume six, and it takes a slightly different path to get to the ending.
“Which I find really fun and exciting. So, even once you read volume six, there will still be quite a few surprises in the movie waiting for you.”
Previously, Oseman shared that they wanted the movie to be “a beautiful and emotional send-off for the Heartstopper story.”
She explained, “At 18 and 17, Nick and Charlie are hurtling towards their adult lives. Many teenage relationships don’t survive that pivotal moment of change. Are Nick and Charlie a forever love? If they are, why?
“I want the movie to capture this transitional moment for them as a couple — from teens to adults, from teen romance to forever love, from past to future. And in doing so, get to the heart of what teenage love can become as adolescence becomes a memory, and what teenage love can mean for people in the overall picture of their lives.”
Heartstopper Forever is set for release in 2026.
