An Academy Award Winner Is Leaving a Big Netflix Hit Series

Heartstopper has been one of the biggest shows on Netflix since it came out in 2022. The series has been one of the most revolutionary LGBTQ shows to ever hit a major streaming service, bringing representation to millions of queer youth around the world.

The series will conclude with a movie, Heartstopper Forever, that is scheduled to release later in 2026. One of the most beloved characters in the story is Nick Nelson's mother, Sarah, who has been portrayed by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman in the first two seasons of the show.

She was absent in the third season, and it has been confirmed that the character has been recast in the climactic movie. Series creator Alice Osman talked a little bit about the circumstances surrounding Colman.

“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.”

It was always a huge benefit that a small show like Heartstopper got a big star like Colman when the series began. One could argue that now someone like Colman is not as needed to bring fans in since the series is beloved and has a strong fanbase. Main stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke will be returning in their roles.

Still, anytime you lose an Oscar-winner in your cast, it's a disappointing development. Colman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in 2018's The Favourite.

Anna Maxwell Martin will replace Colman as Sarah Nelson in the film. She was previously in Motherland and Ludwig, among other projects.