'Heartstopper' creator Alice Oseman confirms release tiemline for Netflix movie finale

Oseman revealed that 'Heartstopper Forever' will follow the publication of the concluding book later this year

Alice Oseman has confirmed that the upcoming film finale to the hit young adult series Heartstopper will not be released on Netflix before the final book in the story arrives this summer.

Speaking at the London Book Fair at Kensington Olympia, the creator of the series and author-illustrator of the original graphic novels said the film, titled Heartstopper Forever, will follow the publication of the concluding book, which is scheduled for release on July 2.

Responding to a question about the launch date during a Q&A session, Oseman said, “It won’t be coming out before the book. It was so important to me that the book comes out first, so people can experience the end of the story in the book. The series was the adaptation, not the other way around.”

Filming on the feature-length finale, directed by Wash Westmoreland, wrapped in July last year and is nearing the end of post-production. Oseman said only final technical work remains before the project moves into Netflix’s final preparation stages.

“We are literally days away from it being finished,” she said. “We are doing the final little bits of VFX and animation, and hopefully by the end of next week is going to be sent to be dubbed in various languages and quality-checked by Netflix, but my work on it will be done.”

The series follows the relationship between British school students Charlie Spring, played by Joe Locke, and Nick Nelson, played by Kit Connor, as they grow into young adulthood. The adaptation first launched on Netflix in 2022 and ran for three seasons before concluding last year.

Plot details for the film remain under wraps, but the final book’s synopsis suggests the story will explore Charlie’s ambitions at school while Nick prepares to leave for university and begins to question his identity beyond their relationship.

Despite critical acclaim and a strong cultural impact, viewership for the third season fell by about 30%, leading Netflix to order a film finale rather than a fourth season. Oseman, who is closely involved in the adaptation, previously said the project began when she and producer Patrick Walters pitched the series to Netflix, believing there was “a gap in the market” for a story centred on a young queer male couple.

Oseman was also honoured at the London Book Fair as Creative of the Fair and received a YA Book Prize Special Achievement Award. The fair opened in London on Monday and runs until March 12.