Heated Rivalry creator lands unexpected book adaptation for Netflix

While Heated Rivalry fans continue to wait patiently to return to the cottage in season 2, or at the very least back to the world of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, series creator Jacob Tierney has already set his next project. This time around, he's teaming up with Netflix!

Tierney will write, direct, and executive produce the upcoming Netflix original series Alexander, which is based on the book The Golden Mean by Anabel Lyon. He's working alongside Accent Aigu Entertainment partner and fellow Heated Rivalry executive producer Brendan Brady and collaborating with Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan, who are producing for their company Aggregate Films.

Jacob Tierney teams with Jason Bateman and Netflix on Alexander series

The streamer order the show straight to series, and according to Deadline, Tierney wrote two Alexander scripts on spec before getting Bateman's company on board and selling the show to Netflix. While it seems like the forthcoming period drama has been fast-tracked, Tierney and Brady are placing their focus on Heated Rivalry season 2, which begins filming in August.

Considering Tierney found success with a modern romance in the sports world, most Heated Rivalry fans might not have anticipated that his follow-up project would be based on a book that takes place in the Athenian empire. Maybe a spinoff based on one of other Reid's books or another sports drama, but adapting another little known book in a niche genre is definitely an exciting pivot.

Pulling from the narrative of the book, Alexander centers on a teenage Alexander the Great as the empire around him begins to crumble. Aristotle makes his way to Macedonia in order to mentor and help guide the young prince, who seemingly has a reputation for being a bit unpredictable. As the synopsis teases, "Amid palace intrigue, forbidden love, brutal war and ruthless ambitions, their unlikely friendship shapes an empire and alters the course of history."

In a statement to Netflix's Tudum, Tierney expressed his excitement to take another captivating story from the page to the screen: "I fell in love with Annabel Lyon’s book The Golden Mean years ago and have been dreaming of telling this story ever since. Brendan and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this insanely compelling world to life."

What this could mean for Heated Rivalry

As much as fans will be hungry for more information, Netflix didn't offer any other concrete details regarding Alexander, including casting updates, an episode count, production timelines, or release windows. While the series has been greenlit with a straight-to-series order, it appears to still be in early development as the formal writing process continues.

Of course, Heated Rivalry fans will likely wonder what Tierney's work on Alexander will mean for the hockey romance, especially with Tierney writing and directing the Netflix series, too. While a third season of Heated Rivalry has been heavily teased, it hasn't been officially renewed by Crave. It's safe to assumed that after season 2 wraps, Tierney would next roll into production on Alexander.

In that event, a potential third season of Heated Rivalry would likely be slightly delayed, though it's hard to know what the plans would be this far in advance. More updates about both of Tierney's highly anticipated series will surely be announced by their respective streamers in the coming months. Above all, it's beyond thrilling that one of the most celebrated and sought after television creators, writers, and directors will soon bring his talents to Netflix.