Netflix has found its “sex on ice” series.
The streamer has ordered a series version of the Hannah Grace novel “Icebreaker, Variety has learned exclusively. Netflix exec Jinny Howe revealed the news onstage during a fireside chat with Variety‘s executive editor for TV, Michael Schneider, at the BANFF World Media Festival.
Amanda Lasher and Jade Bartlett are both attached to write and executive produce the adaptation, with Lasher also set to serve as showrunner. Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan, and Mina Lefevre will executive produce via Unwell Productions (“Love Overboard,” “Hannah Montana” 20th Anniversary Special).
“Netflix has a long history of turning beloved romance novels into massive global hits. We know our members can’t get enough of these stories, which makes ‘Icebreaker’ the perfect next chapter for us,” said Howe, who Netflix’s head of scripted series for the US and Canada. “By supercharging the hockey sports romance genre, Icebreaker has ignited a passionate fandom and helped redefine the landscape of contemporary romance. We are thrilled to partner with Jade Bartlett, Amanda Lasher, and the team at Unwell Productions to bring this irresistible love story to life.”
“Icebreaker” is the first of three novels that Grace has published in the Maple Hills series, which are set at the fictional University of California, Maple Hills. “Icebreaker” has spent 70 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It was originally published in 2022 with a wide release in 2023. The book has sold nearly 5 million copies worldwide.
