Riding the wave of hockey romance, Netflix has joined in on the fun by announcing its greenlighting of a TV series adaptation of the viral novel Icebreaker, by author Hannah Grace. The announcement, via Tudum, was made at the BANFF World Media Festival by Jinny Howe, Netflix head of scripted series for U.S. and Canada.
From Tudum, part of Howe’s announcement:
“Netflix has a long history of turning beloved romance novels into massive global hits. We know our members can’t get enough of these stories, which makes Icebreaker the perfect next chapter for us. […] By supercharging the hockey sports-romance genre, Icebreaker has ignited a passionate fandom and helped redefine the landscape of contemporary romance. We are thrilled to partner with Jade Bartlett (Miller’s Girl, The Accountant), Amanda Lasher (Gossip Girl, Cop Land), and the team at Unwell Productions to bring this irresistible love story to life.”
Icebreaker is a part of Grace’s “Maple Hills” trilogy series, which revolves around the lives of students at the fictional University of California, Maple Hills. Tudum reports that it gained much of its popularity via TikTok and the “BookTok” community, and held a lengthy run on the New York Times bestseller list. With 70 consecutive weeks on the list, and distribution across 34 territories with translations into around 24 languages, it’s no wonder the hit international phenomenon made its way around to become Netflix’s next page-to-screen adaptation.
Being the first novel in the trilogy, Icebreaker follows UCMH ice-sport students Anastasia Allen and Nate Hawkins – Determined to succeed, Anastasia is gunning for an Olympics spot on Team USA, utilizing her full ride to the fullest in the meantime after landing a highly-coveted spot on the university’s competitive figure skating team. In a similar vein, campus star and hockey team captain Nate aspires to join the NHL with his talents. However, despite their similarities, the two are forced to come head-to-head when an unfortunate facilities accident leads the teams to share an ice rink for the time being.
“[…] Anastasia Allen and Nate Hawkins collide – and discipline gives way to obsession, because the only thing more dangerous than wanting to win is wanting each other,” writes Tudum.
Per Tudum, the series is executive produced by Matt Kaplan (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Before I Fall), Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper, and Mina Lefevre (XO, Kitty, Awkward) from Unwell Productions. Lasher will showrun and write with Bartlett as co-writer.