InFrame

Justice Smith Linked to Rumoured 'Heated Rivalry' Season 2 Role

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 10: Justice Smith attends Lionsgate's "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" New York Premiere at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers on November 10, 2025 in New York City. Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris

by Chris Tremblay  Aug 3

Justice Smith has been linked to a possible role in the second season of Heated Rivalry, the television adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels.

The claim says Smith would play Harris Drover, a social-media manager for the Ottawa Centaurs, a character associated with the Game Changers novel Role Model.

The report did not come from an official casting announcement. PinkNews said it was based on an anonymous tip shared by DeuxMoi , which stated: “Heated Rivalry S2 casting news: Justice Smith will be playing Harris. Production started yesterday.”

PinkNews explicitly described the tip as unverified, while Instinct Magazine said that neither the production nor Smith had confirmed the casting.

What the three reports establish



The recent coverage establishes that the same casting claim circulated across multiple entertainment publications between July 29 and August 1, 2026.

The reports do not, however, independently verify that Smith has been hired. Instead, they trace the claim to the anonymous DeuxMoi submission and repeat the caveat that the information remains a rumor.

The Star Observer reported that production appeared to be approaching or beginning after Heated Rivalry leads Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were photographed together in Toronto.

That sighting supports reports that the second season is moving into production activity, but it does not confirm Smith’s participation or the identity of every new cast member.

The character Harris Drover



In Reid’s Role Model, Harris Drover is the Ottawa Centaurs’ social-media manager and is connected to a romance with hockey player Troy Barrett.

The Star Observer described Harris as openly gay and characterized him as a contrasting presence to the more reserved Troy.

PinkNews reported that the second television season is expected to continue the story of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, the rival hockey players played by Williams and Storrie.

The publication also reported that the season will be based on The Long Game, the sixth novel in Reid’s series and a sequel to Heated Rivalry.

The Star Observer similarly connected the second season with Ottawa and the Role Model storyline, while reporting that filming was expected to take place across Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.

Why the report remains unconfirmed



Smith’s reported involvement should not be treated as a confirmed casting decision. The available reporting identifies no statement from Smith, the show’s producers, its broadcasters or the relevant production company announcing him as Harris.

The wording of the original submission also creates uncertainty: it was anonymous, appeared on a celebrity-gossip account and provided no public evidence such as a casting notice, production statement or comment from the actor.

Instinct Magazine reported the allegation as an “unverified report” and cautioned that it remained a rumor.

The Star Observer also presented Smith’s involvement as a rumor rather than a confirmed addition to the cast.

Accordingly, the verifiable news is that a casting rumor has been widely reported, not that Smith has definitively joined the series.

Smith’s connection to LGBTQ+ screen roles



Smith is known for roles including Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Jurassic World Dominion, I Saw the TV Glow, The Voyeurs and the television series Generation.

PinkNews reported that Smith identifies as queer.

His possible casting would place a queer actor in a role written as an openly gay character, but the production has not confirmed that he will appear in the series.

For now, the status of the alleged casting is unchanged: Justice Smith is rumored to be under consideration or attached for Harris Drover, but no authoritative confirmation has been published.

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