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The first official images of Netflix’s upcoming LGBTQ+ romantic drama series, Heartstopper, have been released by the streaming platform – and it’s safe to say not everyone is a fan.
Heartstopper explores the friendship-turned-romance between “high-strung, openly gay overthinker” Charlie and “cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player” Nick, following their journey of navigating self-discovery and acceptance whilst coming to terms with Charlie’s mental illness.
Newly-released photos give us a glimpse of stars Kit Connor, who plays Nick Nelson and Joe Locke as Charlie Spring, as well as some of the side characters. These include Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney), who are Charlie’s best friends, as well as couple Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) and Tara (Corinna Brown).
The stills also show the school where most of the episodes will be set, and give a hint at what the costumes might look like.
The images have received a range of responses from fans of the Heartstopper graphic novels. PRUDE posted a TikTok showing the newly released snaps, and it was flooded with hundreds of comments. Many expressed how excited they were for the news series, with one user saying “Omg finally! I can’t wait to see this!”
However, it seems many are also unhappy with the casting of the lead roles. One comment said, “I just wish that the height difference would have been the same and that Charlie was shorter.”
Another said, “I don’t really like the casting, at least not for Charlie and Nick.”
The teen series, which is due to premiere on Netflix in Spring 2022, is based on a webcomic created by Alice Oseman in 2016, which was then turned into physical graphic novels in 2018. The fifth graphic novel is set to be released at the end of this year.
Netflix said: “It was clear right away that Alice not only had created these brilliant emotionally engaging characters, but that the world they populated was relatable yet somehow aspirational.
“The whole thing is just so poignant and beautifully crafted. To tell a love story between two boys who meet at school involves such vision and creative focus.”
The series is directed by Euros Lyn – whose previous work includes Doctor Who, Daredevil and Sherlock – and is set to consist of eight episodes, each with a duration of 30 minutes. The release date has not yet been confirmed.
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