Heated Rivalry Is Getting Season 3 & A Movie

Crave’s sports romance series based on Rachel Reid’s novels became a pop culture phenomenon when it came out on HBO Max in 2025. Heated Rivalry season 2 is in production, continuing the romance of hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov, along with that of Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Christopher “Kip” Grady (Robbie G.K.) The new season is confirmed to not be coming back until 2027, with a spring premiere expected.

Now, Deadline reports that Heated Rivalry season 3 is already in the works, with plans to film it back-to-back with season 2, both of which will be six episodes. Additionally, a standalone movie is in the works that is slated to be filmed this December, after production for seasons 2 and 3 wraps, and it is intended to be released in theaters in December 2027. The film is being described as a standalone Christmas special or holiday-themed story that will not feature Shane or Ilya, but will reportedly include Scott, Kip, and other familiar characters.

In response to this report, a representative for Crave stated there are no additional projects to confirm.

While season 3 and the movie still need to be officially confirmed, based on the reported information thus far, the film may be based on the short story Reid wrote called “Merry Christmas, Scott and Kip!” It is focused on the couple’s first Christmas together.

The movie news comes as a surprise, but there was already speculation about two seasons being filmed back-to-back when Dylan Walsh, who plays Shane’s father David Hollander, said in a Cameo video that Heated Rivalry was filming 12 episodes this time, more than double the amount in season 1. Series creator Jacob Tierney later clarified that season 2 would have six episodes instead of 12 and that filming would conclude by the end of the year, both of which still aligns with season 3 and a movie happening.

Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order.

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A Heated Rivalry movie releasing in theaters would be a major expansion of the series, although it is not unprecedented. Season 1 is currently in the midst of a limited theatrical run in the United States and Canada from November 6-30 across more than 650 total locations. Distribution is led by Regal Cinemas, with showings also available via AMC, Cinemark, and other participating theaters.

There are no details yet about whether the holiday-themed film will follow this model or opt for a wide release. Seasons 2 and 3 are all but guaranteed to be streaming hits, but a theatrical movie will be a different kind of test for the IP, especially with fan-favorite couple Shane and Ilya reportedly not a part of it. Not featuring them could be a creative decision, but the two actors have also become increasingly booked with more projects, including Storrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ghost Rider and Williams in the dark comedic thriller film Apparatus opposite Dylan O’Brien.

Reviews for Heated Rivalry have been overwhelmingly positive, leading to a 97% critics’ score and 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics’ consensus states that “Jacob Tierney lovingly adapts Rachel Reid’s hockey-set romance novels into an all-consuming, steamy, dreamy love fest of true queer intent, making Heated Rivalry a bona fide winner.”

Heated Rivalry