Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie Join ‘Heated Rivalry’ Season 2 Cast

Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have been cast as the central couple in Season 2 of “Heated Rivalry.” The queer hockey romance from Canada’s Crave streams on HBO Max in the U.S. Smith will play Harris Drover and Gillespie will play Troy Barrett.

The characters are drawn from Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” book series.

They will lead the new season alongside returning stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. Their breakout performances as rival players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander turned Season 1 into a global hit. The series debuted in late 2025. The second season is set to premiere in spring 2027.

Production is already underway in Canada.

From Books to the Small Screen

In Reid’s novels, Troy is a hockey player traded to the Ottawa team after cutting ties with a former Toronto teammate accused of sexual assault. Harris, Ottawa’s social media manager, sets out to draw Troy out of his shell.

The new leads mirror the nationality pairing of Williams and Storrie: Smith is American, Gillespie is Canadian.

Unlike the relative newcomers who played Ilya and Shane, both Smith and Gillespie arrive with substantial credits.

Smith has appeared in “I Saw the TV Glow,” the “Jurassic World” franchise, “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” and Netflix’s “The Get Down.” Gillespie, currently seen in “One Night Only,” previously starred in Netflix’s “Julie and the Phantoms.” He has appeared in “Splitsville” and “Suze.”

Continuing the Hollander-Rozanov Story

Season 1 adapted the second book in Reid’s series, “Heated Rivalry.” It incorporated elements from the first, “Game Changer,” which centers on Scott and Kip. Creator Jacob Tierney has confirmed that Season 2 will continue the Hollander-Rozanov arc by tackling Book 6, “The Long Game.”

It will introduce Harris and Troy through Book 5, “Role Model.”

On the casting, Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady said: “Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for.”

“From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen.”

“Justice and Charlie do exactly that. They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”

Tierney created the series and serves as director. He executive produces alongside Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson. Lori Fischburg and Liane Cunje are producers. Reid serves as consulting producer. Mike Goldbach is a co-writer on Season 2.

The series is commissioned by Crave with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. Bell’s Sphere Abacus handles international distribution.

Sources

• Variety