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Can a first love last forever? That’s the heart of the storyline in this summer's Heartstopper Forever—the finale movie that'll wrap up the fan-favorite romance on Netflix.
Premiering on July 17, which is the fourth anniversary of Season 1's release, the movie picks up after the Season 3 finale that set up the inseparable couple for a long-distance future with Nick (Kit Connor) leaving for college soon. With Nick now preparing to leave for university and Charlie (Joe Locke) 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, Netflix says.
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In the words of Alice Oseman, the story's creator, executive producer and graphic novelist, the film will explore time, memory, love, pain, the changing of the seasons, endings and beginnings and the ordinary magic of our everyday lives.
"For a teenage relationship, [long distance] is a pretty huge hurdle to overcome," she said in a Tudum article. "Each of them has some conflicting feelings about this development. Nick isn't sure who he is without Charlie, and Charlie is nervous about being left behind. They have some work to do — both on their relationship and individually."
Their friends are facing similar issues with the idea of potentially saying "goodbye."
Before it airs in July, here's what you need to know about the movie:
Why is Heartstopper ending with a movie?
According to Oseman, it's in order to tell the story in the best way, without the cliffhangers and twists that another season would require.
"I totally understand if fans are a little apprehensive," she explained. "It's a big change from what we know. It's something new and unknown, and yes, the runtime will be less than a TV season. Even I needed some time to process and come to terms with the change. But once I began to see the entire vision, I knew it would be something even more beautiful than a regular season could achieve. We are feeling very ambitious about what is possible in a movie format. With no need for end-of-episode cliffhangers or a new twist every episode, every part of Heartstopper can be elevated to a higher quality to create something memorable, sophisticated, and atmospheric."
Who is in the cast of Heartstopper Forever?
The main Heartstopper cast will return:
- Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
- Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
- Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent
- Will Gao as Tao Xu
- Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
- Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson
- Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson
- Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney
- Jenny Walser as Tori Spring
- Fisayo Akinade as Mr. Ajayi
- Nima Taleghani as Mr. Farouk
- Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid
- Bradley Riches as James McEwan
- Darragh Hand as Michael Holden
- Eddie Marsan as Geoff Young
Anna Maxwell Martin and Derek Jacobi will join the cast.
Who is in the creative team behind Heartstopper Forever?
In addition to Oseman, the team is Patrick Walters, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Euros Lyn, Locke and Connor. See-Saw Films is producing the film.
"I am completely overjoyed that we will get to tell the end of the Heartstopper story," Oseman said. "I’m so grateful to everyone who has worked hard to make this possible and to the incredible fans of Heartstopper for your patience and passion. I cannot wait to bring this story to a magical conclusion."
Mark your calendar for July 17 on Netflix, and get those tissues ready.