Will Crave’s hit, new, queer hockey series be skating to Broadway? Maybe! In a recent interview with Variety, Heated Rivalry book series author Rachel Reid revealed that she hopes the series could land on stage.
When asked if there might ever be a Heated Rivalry musical, she responded: “I hope so, because I still hold the stage rights to that. It was the thing that when I signed the contract, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’ll never happen.’ But now I’m like, ‘Maybe.’ We’re talking about all sorts of things right now. I was saying to Hudson a couple weeks ago that it feels like we could do literally anything.” Read the full interview here.
The series has quickly become a huge hit for Crave as its most-watched original debut and reaching #1 on HBO Max. It was recently renewed for a second season.
Broadway’s Chess revival recently jumped on the Heated Rivalry bandwagon:
Created by award-winning Canadian writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney and based on the best-selling book series GameChangers by Rachel Reid, the six-episode, one-hour romantic drama tells the story of rival hockey players Shane and Ilya. What begins as a secret fling ignites into an all-consuming blaze and culminates in a powerful love story.
In Heated Rivalry, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there is room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and as powerful as real love. The cast is rounded out by François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova.
Rachel Reid’s Game Changers is a six-book series from Harlequin, and USA Today best-seller that has earned critical recognition. The series has also achieved consistent Top 15 rankings in the Gay Romance category on Amazon, supported by a devoted fan following and strong critical acclaim.
Photo Credit: Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max













