Actor Paul Wesley has been confirmed for Netflix’s upcoming book-to-OTT adaptation of Hannah Grace’s novel Icebreaker. The actor announced the casting news on his Instagram handle by sharing a photograph of himself holding the book. He will play the role of Coach Neil Faulkner in the sports romance adaptation.
The novel previously went viral on BookTok, the book-loving community on social media platform TikTok.
Wesley joins the previously announced cast members Daisy Jelley, Connor Simos, Gabriel Tierney, Auli’i Cravalho, Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular, Devin Craig and Aidan Shaw.
The story follows Anastasia Allen, a transfer student and competitive skater who aims to win Olympic gold as part of the USA national team. She hopes to secure a full scholarship and is well on her way to achieving her goal.
Nate Hawkins, meanwhile, is the captain of the ice hockey team and has his sights set on the NHL. A minor setback forces the two to share an ice rink, leading to clashes between their contrasting personalities. When Anastasia’s skating partner faces trouble, she turns to Nate for help, and romance begins to develop between them. Jelley and Simos will portray the two lead characters in the upcoming streaming series.
The adaptation has been developed by Jade Halley Bartlett and Amanda Lasher, with Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan and Mina Lefevre backing the production.
Wesley, known for his work in The Vampire Diaries and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, is also set to appear in the upcoming third season of Apple TV’s The Buccaneers as Frank. He will also reunite with his The Vampire Diaries co-star Nina Dobrev for You Deserve to Know, a psychological thriller series on Hulu.
Icebreaker is currently in production, with filming underway in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
