Olivia Colman played Sarah, the mother of Kit Connor’s character Nick, in the first two seasons of the smash LGBTQ+ Netflix series Heartstopper. Once Colman announced her unfortunate unavailability for filming, the show’s creator and author of the original graphic novels, Alice Oseman, was faced with either recasting the role or completely removing Sarah from the script of the upcoming movie Heartstopper Forever.

Sarah Nelson is an iconic character from the show, particularly because of her support and heartwarming acceptance when Nick came out to her as bisexual. Because of the importance of Sarah and Nick’s relationship, Oseman ultimately decided that it would be “nonsensical” for the character to be missing from the concluding film. Previously, Oseman was able to work around Colman’s absence for Heartstopper’s third season, but the writer explained that the same solution was not possible for the movie.

Colman is currently filming the upcoming drama Elsinore, a biopic about legendary queer Scottish actor Ian Charleson and his experience living with HIV. Colman’s Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke will appear alongside her in the movie, as will Irish actor Andrew Scott.

Heartstopper Forever will now see Nick’s loving mother portrayed by Anna Maxwell Martin, who is best known for her roles in TV series such as Line of Duty and films like Bleak House. Oseman has assured fans that Martin will be a great addition to the cast, stating that she will have no issues expressing Sarah’s “gentle, down-to-earth energy.”

Both the Heartstopper graphic novels and the TV series have been praised for their accurate and complex portrayals of different LGBTQ+ identities, with explicit representation of gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and asexual people. As the characters begin to grow into adulthood, sensitive topics such as mental health are also carefully incorporated into the show.

Aside from Colman, many of the other original cast members are returning for Heartstopper Forever, including the stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke. However, Wash Westmoreland will be succeeding Euros Lyn as director. The film is set to be released later this year, but all three seasons of the original series are available for streaming on Netflix.