Francois Arnaud
Francois Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter, will be returning in Heated Rivalry Season 2 Instagram/francoisarnaud

Actor Francois Arnaud has officially ignited a fresh wave of fan excitement after confirming his return for the second season of the breakout HBO Max and Crave sports-romance series, Heated Rivalry.

Speaking in a recent interview with WWD, the versatile star, who portrays hockey player Scott Hunter, revealed that viewers will see significantly more of Scott and his partner Kip Grady (played by Robbie Graham-Kuntz) when the show returns.

'I can tell you that there's more of Scott, but I can't tell you in what capacity. There are various things at play,' Arnaud said.

While the narrative core centres heavily on the fierce rivalry and secret romance between NHL stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov (brought to life by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie), Scott and Kip captured audiences' hearts during their prominent appearances in Season 1.

As production ramps up in Ontario under creator Jacob Tierney, anticipation for the series has reached astronomical heights across global social media feeds.

Heated Rivalry
While Heated Rivalry primarily follows the hockey player couple of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov (played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie respectively), Scott Hunter and Kip Grady are prominently featured in the third episode. IMDB

Adapting the 'Game Changers' Novels for Television

Scott and Kip were the main protagonists of Rachel Reid's first Game Changers novel, which was followed by Heated Rivalry, which centred around Shane and Ilya.

The show adapted both novels for its first season. According to series creator Jacob Tierney, Season 2 will take a similar approach, this time adapting both the 3rd book, The Long Game, and the 5th, Role Model.

Role Model introduces two new characters, hockey player Troy Barrett and social media manager Harris Drover. While no news on who would be playing them has been announced yet, Tierney says that both their story and Shane and Ilya's will be worked on together in Season 2.

Fans speculate that they may be seeing Scott and Kip's wedding very soon. However, Tierney does not indicate whether they will be adapting the 4th novel, Common Goal, where the two characters tie the knot.

Managing Global Stardom and Setting Expectations

Stepping into a global phenomenon has been an eye-opening experience for the ensemble cast.

Reflecting on his sudden surge in international visibility, Arnaud shared his perspective on navigating public attention with media outlets.

'It's been a crazy ride, but I'm finding my footing,' Arnaud noted, emphasising that he views fame primarily as a functional tool to secure compelling creative projects rather than an end in itself.

'The good definitely outweighs the bad. I'm so proud to be part of that show and that it reached so many people. And I'm trying to be smart and make the most of it for the rest of my life. It's not even something that I dreamed of. Fame for me was always kind of a tool to actually get the work that I want to do. And so I'm trying to do that and make the most of the opportunities that I have and keep pursuing the ones that I don't, and be present and not let any of that noise affect me too much.'

Hype for the upcoming season was also bolstered by candid photos of Williams and Storrie together in Toronto circulating social media.

The show's official Instagram account posted a message cautioning fans against interrupting filming to 'give the crew space to do what they do best'.

Heated Rivalry Season 2 has no official release date yet, but the show is targeting a Spring 2027 window.

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