NetflixWhat do we want? Heartstopper Season 4! When do we want it? Now! Well, the end of the story is now coming much soon… and it might not be exactly what you’re expecting.
October 2024 saw the arrival of Heartstopper Season 3, which blew even the highest of expectations out of the water. Netflix made fans wait for the goods, and now the wait starts all over again.
It didn’t take long before Season 4 questions cropped up on socials… and if we’re honest, we can’t blame anyone for wanting more.
But what chance do we actually have of seeing Nick, Charlie, and the gang for another round? A good chance, as it goes… but it’s actually not for Heartstopper Season 4 at all.
Heartstopper Season 4 will be a Netflix movie
On April 22, 2025, Netflix confirmed the anticipated Season 4 would instead be a Heartstopper movie, rounding out the story once and for all.
NetflixThe streaming service confirmed plans by posting on social media, “Heartstopper will return, bigger than ever. A Heartstopper movie, our final chapter based on Alice Oseman’s upcoming volume six, is coming.”
Now it’s unlikely we’ll get this movie soon, given the obvious problem of Volume 6 not being released yet. It was originally expected to drop at the end of 2024, but rumors now think a December 2025 release date for the graphic novel is the most likely.
Until we get the book, filming can’t begin – unless Oseman is busy working on both things at once. Early reports suggest filming could begin as early as this summer, with Locke and Connor on board as executive producers.
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“I am completely overjoyed that we will get to tell the end of the Heartstopper story,” Oseman said in a press statement. “I’m so grateful to everyone who has worked hard to make this possible and to the incredible fans of Heartstopper for your patience and passion. I cannot wait to bring this story to a magical conclusion.”
A return was basically guaranteed for one simple reason
NetflixThe biggest reason for this is that Heartstopper has six books in total. Currently, we’re partway through Book 5, which means we’ve got a book and a half’s worth of plot left to cover (which is surely enough for the movie).
On top of this, Book 6 hasn’t actually been released yet – and with 2025 racing away, we’ve not got a planned date for it either. Book 5 was released in November 2023, with early predictions guessing we’d see Book 6 by the end of 2024. Now, it’s more like the end of the year at the earliest.
So far, this hasn’t materialized, we’ve likely got an extra wait. We do know this – regardless of what year the movie could be released, it will be in the winter months.
This follows on from established release schedules. Season 1 was spring, Season 2 was summer, and Season 3 just debuted in fall.
According to Oseman, Season 4 was always supposed to be the last. They explained to Radio Times: “It would probably be four seasons to cover the full story. I haven’t done any in-detail planning or anything, but it’s quite easy to divide up the books into seasons, so four I think would do it.”
Joe Locke also previously teased a return, captioning an Instagram story, “Bye for now Charlie warlie” after finishing filming Season 3.
Has the Heartstopper movie started filming?
Yes! Netflix confirmed the Heartstopper movie was in production as of June 9, 2025.
It’s currently unknown when filming is expected to wrap up.
Heartstopper movie cast
Following the Season 3 finale, we’d expect all the principal cast to return for Heartstopper Season 4 (and keep our fingers crossed for an Olivia Colman comeback).
NetflixOur main players include:
- Kit Connor as Nick
- Joe Locke as Charlie
- William Gao as Tao
- Yasmin Finney as Elle
- Corinna Brown as Tara
- Kizzy Edgell as Darcy
- Tobie Donovan as Isaac
- Jenny Walser as Tori
- Rhea Norwood as Imogen
- Leila Khan as Sahar
The future of minor characters, including Mr Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade), Mr Farouk (Nima Taleghani), and James (Bradley Riches), remains unclear. All storylines will likely move away from Truham Grammar School, which might mean we’ve seen the last of them.
Of course, the big comeback we’re all waiting for is Olivia Colman, who plays Nick’s mom. Seen in the first two seasons, she was unable to return for Season 3 due to scheduling issues – but the movie could be a chance for her triumphant return.
In Season 3 she was replaced by Hayley Atwell, who took up the mantle of Nick’s aunt Diane. In an ideal world, we’ll get to see them both together… dare to dream.
Heartstopper movie plot
The Heartstopper movie is confirmed to be adapting Oseman’s sixth book in the graphic novel series. As it hasn’t been released, we’re yet to find out how Heartstopper will end.
NetflixWhile we’ve had some of the big Book 5 plot points already – the gang thinking about university and starting to have sex – there’s still a few more to explore.
Tori comes out as asexual after struggling to settle into her new relationship with boyfriend Michael. Nick and Charlie also continue their journey physically, with Nick undecided about whether to pursue his university of choice in Leeds.
Anything after this gets hazy. Obviously, Book 6 hasn’t come out yet, so we’ve got no clear idea what Oseman has in store for us. However, we can guess the big theme: Nick will go off to university, and his relationship with Charlie will face the biggest test ever.
The rest of the gang are arguably facing the same issue. Elle and Tao will be in the exact same position as Nick and Charlie, with Darcy’s new sense of self-discovery possibly leading to issues with Tara further down the line.
Heartstopper Seasons 1-3 are available on Netflix now. In the meantime, check out our Season 3 review, who Oliver Spring is, the Season 3 soundtrack, and why Ben isn’t in new episodes.
You can also find Netflix updates with Virgin River Season 7 and Stranger Things Season 5, alongside more TV shows streaming this month.