Millions of fans around the world have watched Charlie (Kit Connor) and Nick (Joe Locke) navigate the ups and downs of high school and first love. In the film finale Heartstopper Forever, Connor and Locke — as well as Yasmin Finney, Will Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Tobie Donovan, Rhea Norwood, and more — return to play the Truham and Higgs squad one last time.
Heartstopper Forever also welcomes two new actors to the cast. Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, Ludwig) and Derek Jacobi (Last Tango in Halifax; I, Claudius) join the beloved YA franchise’s momentous send-off. Martin will take over the role of Sarah Nelson, Nick’s mother, which was originated by Olivia Colman (The Crown) in Heartstopper Seasons 1 and 2. Fans originally fell in love with Nick’s mom in the sweet scene from Season 1, Episode 8, when Nick comes out to his mom as bisexual. It was the “Thank you for telling me” heard around the world; their heartwarming conversation went viral soon after Season 1 debuted in April 2022.
PHOTO BY TIM WHITBY/BAFTA/GETTY IMAGES
PHOTO BY GARETH CATTERMOLE/GETTY IMAGES
Creator Alice Oseman has always understood how important Nick and Sarah’s relationship is to the Heartstopper world. Since Colman was not able to join for the finale film, Oseman made the difficult decision to recast the part, rather than exclude the character. Jacobi joins the cast in a cameo role. Oseman, who adapts the series from her bestselling graphic novels, celebrates Martin and Jacobi in a new statement below, exclusive to Tudum.
What does Alice Oseman say about recasting Nick’s mom, Sarah Nelson?
“I am so excited that so many of Heartstopper’s cast have returned and will appear in the feature film finale. It is a delight to introduce two new members of the Heartstopper family — two icons of British stage and screen — Anna Maxwell Martin as Sarah Nelson and Derek Jacobi in a cameo role.
“When beginning to work on the Heartstopper Forever screenplay, I knew how important it was that Sarah, Nick’s mum, appeared in the story. Since Season 1, we have seen how close Nick is with his mum; she’s one of the few people he can turn to in moments of crisis. While in Season 3, we were able to tweak the story to avoid any appearance of Sarah, it felt nonsensical for her to be absent from this final chapter, given some of the emotional struggles Nick faces. Sadly, Olivia Colman was not able to join us for the film, so we made the very difficult decision to recast the role, rather than exclude the character. We are deeply grateful for Olivia’s beautiful performance as Sarah in Seasons 1 and 2 of Heartstopper, through such iconic moments as Nick coming out as bisexual, and we know that her performance will live on in the hearts of every Heartstopper fan.
“We are overjoyed to welcome the incredible Anna Maxwell Martin into the role of Sarah for Heartstopper Forever. Anna perfectly embodies Sarah’s gentle, down-to-earth energy, and it was magical to witness her scenes with Kit Connor during the film shoot. I can’t wait for Heartstopper fans to experience her interpretation of Sarah Nelson.”
Which cast members are returning for Heartstopper Forever?
The rest of the Heartstopper cast returns for the finale film:
- Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
- Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
- Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent
- Will Gao as Tao Xu
- Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
- Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson
- Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson
- Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney
- Jenny Walser as Tori Spring
- Fisayo Akinade as Mr. Ajayi
- Nima Taleghani as Mr. Farouk
- Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid
- Bradley Riches as James McEwan
- Darragh Hand as Michael Holden
- Eddie Marsan as Geoff Young
After three seasons of the fan-favorite series, Oseman announced that the much-anticipated final installment would instead be a movie, coming out in 2026. Read more about Oseman’s decision. Heartstopper Forever, directed by Wash Westmoreland, is based on both the forthcoming sixth volume of Oseman’s Heartstopper webcomic series and the novella Nick and Charlie, first published in 2015. Joe Locke and Kit Connor executive produce for the first time, alongside Patrick Walters, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Alice Oseman, and Euros Lyn.
Stay tuned to Tudum for even more updates about Heartstopper Forever.
