Troy Iwata has been announced to star as Shane Hollander in : The Unauthorized Musical Parody, starting 31 August 2026.

Iwata, known for his role in the Emmy-nominated series , will take over from Aaron Alcaraz, who began his stint on 13 August.

His Off-Broadway run will take place at The Culture Club in New York City, opposite Jay Armstrong Johnson as Ilya Rozanov.

What is Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody about?

Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody is a campy take on ’s hit gay hockey series , based on author ’s book series. The storyline follows Shane’s “journey from power centre to power bottom”.

First-look images show Iwata in character, including a shirtless promotional photo of him holding a hockey stick and another showing him in the arms of his co-star, Johnson.

Filming begins for season 2

The casting announcement comes shortly after production began on series 2 of in Toronto, ahead of a spring 2027 release.

have been announced to join the cast of season 2 as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, 2 characters from Reid’s book.

The new cast of season 2

, , Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees and have also been announced to join the cast of season 2.

Hampshire will play Vanessa, Ryding will play Luca Haas, Naylor will star as Wyatt Hayes, Jalees will play Farah Jalali and Priyanka will take on the role of Tarek.

and Robbie G.K. are also tipped to return after fans and athletes alike praised their on-screen storytelling through their characters Scott and Kip.

season 2 is scheduled for release in April 2027 via Sky in the UK.