Olivia Colman won't return for “Heartstopper” season 3: 'I couldn't fit it in'

Creator Alice Oseman also assures fans that they are still preserving a certain scene from the comics, with a few tweaks.

While Heartstopper will return this year, the show's ultimate mamma bear won't.

Oscar winner Olivia Colman says she won't appear in season 3 as Kit Connor's onscreen mom Sarah Nelson. “I couldn’t do number three," she told Forbes in an interview published Thursday. "I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that.”

She later added, “I feel like I was part of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of.”

Alice Oseman, the show's writer/creator, addressed Colman's season 3 exit in a statement shared on social media. "We tried absolutely everything we could, but it wasn't meant to be, and that's just the way the TV world works sometimes," she wrote. "We are so deeply grateful to Olivia for the stunning performance she gave to the show and wish her the absolute best!"

Oseman, who also penned the original Heartstopper graphic novels, confirmed they are not recasting Colman's role. "I know many of you — comic fans especially — will be upset and concerned about how we will move forward without Nick's mum," she continued. "I know there is one scene in particular that many of you have been looking forward to in season 3, and you may be feeling disappointed and disheartened with us. I totally understand — I was really worried too, when I first found out!"

The scene Oseman seems to be referring to involves an emotional conversation Sarah and Nick (Connor) have on a beach about how love can't cure mental illness. Oseman previously confirmed that Charlie (Joe Locke) and his mental illness will be a driving part of the storyline in season 3.

"If there is one thing I could ask of you, it's to not give up on us quite yet," Oseman wrote. "I have done everything in my power to preserve that scene as written in the comic, and I've written in some new elements of the story to ensure that it gives us the emotional punch that it gives in the comic."

She urged fans to have faith and assured them that "Nick's story from the comics is still there, still infinitely important to me, and Sarah's role as emotional support for Nick will shift to other characters in the story for now." She added: "If we get a season 4, I would love for Olivia to be a part of it again."

Connor and Locke appeared in a video that Netflix released this month to announce Heartstopper season 3 will return this October with eight new episodes. Confirmed to appear in the cast are William Gao, Yasmin Finney, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Tobie Donovan, Leila Khan, Rhea Norwood, and Jenny Walser.

In her statement, Oseman teased that "a few new casting announcements" will be arriving "in the next few weeks — some you may have heard about already, others that you haven't yet..."

Fans have speculated that Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers, and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey might have joined season 3, based on photos that have been circulating online. However, that has not been confirmed by Netflix or the Heartstopper team.

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