Rachel Reid shares ‘Unrivaled’ update
Rachel Reid, the author of the “Game Changers” series of books behind the “Heated Rivalry” TV series, appears to have finished the writing process on the latest book in the series. On Thursday, she posted a photo of a stack of printed pages with a red (editing?) pen resting on top. In a caption, she wrote: “I hope you guys like Ilya and Shane …” In interviews since the release of the first season of the TV show, she’s mentioned multiple times that she’s been working on the seventh book of the book series—“Unrivaled.” She said the book will be a continuation of Shane and Ilya’s romance, which was first featured in Book 2, “Heated Rivalry” and again in Book 6, “The Long Game.”
In other “Heated Rivalry” news this week, creator Jacob Tierney announced the Season 2 casting of Justice Smith as Harris and Charlie Gillespie as Troy. The romance between Harris and Troy was the subject of Book 5, “Role Model,” which will be the source material for Season 2 along with “The Long Game.” Season 2 is expected to be released in spring 2027, and “Unrivaled” is expected to be published next year, as well.
‘Monarch of the Glen’ gets revival
PBS’ Masterpiece announced Thursday that the early-2000s Scottish series “Monarch of the Glen” is being revived. This version based on the books of Compton Mackenzie will star Julia Brown as Isla Campbell, a London lawyer forced to return to her family home in Scotland after her father dies.
“She discovers she has inherited a million-pound debt, a bank closing in and a brother, Alasdair, played by Chris Fulton, refusing to let go of their ancestral home,” a synopsis of the series reads.
An earlier version of the series ran from 2000 to 2005 and starred Alexander Morton, Susan Hampshire and Dawn Steele. The new series is expected to debut in 2027.
Passionflix’s ‘Driven’ series to stream on Netflix
Passionflix, a streaming service dedicated to romance and erotica, announced Thursday that the “Driven” series will also stream in its entirety on Netflix. Originally released beginning in 2018, the three seasons of “Driven” adapt the first three books in K. Bromberg’s book series—“Driven,” “Fueled” and “Crashed.” The TV series stars Olivia Applegate as social worker Rylee and Casey Deidrick (Season 1) and Michael Roark (Season 2 and 3) as professional race car driver Colton. All three seasons will debut on Netflix in September, though the series is currently available on Passionflix.
“Filled with unforgettable chemistry, heartbreak, healing and plenty of twists, the series quickly became a fan favorite among Passionflix subscribers,” the streaming service said.
‘Kill Jackie’ first-look images released
AMC on Wednesday released several first-look photos from “Kill Jackie,” a thriller series starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. The series is based on the novel “The Price You Pay” by Nick Harkaway writing under the pseudonym Aidan Truhen.
The description by AMC reads: “Kill Jackie follows Jackie Price (Zeta-Jones), who has spent the last twenty years living a quiet, luxurious existence selling fine art while remaining anonymous after escaping a criminal past. Her carefully constructed world is shattered when she discovers that The Seven Demons, a squad of ruthless assassins, have been hired to kill her. Jackie will need to unleash her old instincts and execute a dangerous plan to take down the Demons.”
Daniel Ings, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Bill Paterson also star. The eight-episode series will premiere on AMC+ this fall.
‘Musafir Cafe’ gets second season
Netflix announced Tuesday that Indian romance series “Musafir Cafe” will get a second season. Based on the novel of the same name by Divya Prakash Dubey, the story follows three “musafirs,” which is a name for travelers, played by Vikrant Massey, Vedika Pinto and Mahima Makwana. Their lives intersect in unexpected ways in this romantic drama, which takes place in Bhopal and Mussoorie in India. The series was created and written by Sharanya Rajgopal and directed by Ruchir Arun.
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