Heartbreak High 2022: Netflix reveals cast, characters and story for reboot

The reboot of an Australian favourite from the 90s has rolled cameras – and revealed all the tantalising details.

The new version of Heartbreak High is finally in production, which means we’re that much closer to returning to the dramas of Hartley High, the place where teen dreams are made and broken.

Cameras have rolled on the reboot in Sydney, and we finally have a sense of what the new Heartbreak High will be about and get a peek at the diverse ensemble cast of primarily newcomers, plus New Zealand actor Rachel House.

Netflix has also revealed details of the characters and the story.

The plot is centred on smart and brash working-class girl Amerie, who becomes a pariah at school after a discovery, which also leads to a feud with her friend Harper.

On the outs, Amerie befriends new students Quinni and Darren to regain her reputation.

The full list of character descriptions are:

Amerie (Ayesha Madon – The Moth Effect, Fangirls): “Whip smart and outwardly brash, a working-class girl with an enormous heart and an even bigger mouth.”

Darren (James Majoos – Fangirls, Grand Horizons): “The warmest snarky sh*t-stirrer you’re ever likely to meet. While they are outwardly brash, inwardly Darren fears they are a hard person to love.”

Quinni (Chloe Hayden – Jeremy the Dud, Sister From the South): “All literal and lateral, a brain trying to connect to a body and a heart. Besties with Darren, she’s outrageous, raw, and sometimes a little.”

The cast of the Heartbreak High revival. Picture: Netflix

Harper (Asher Yasbincek – The Heights, Rams): “The person in High School everyone is a little afraid of (even the teachers). To be in Harper’s orbit is to feel kinda special – getting into that orbit is the hard part.”

Malakai (Thomas Weatherall – RFDS, All My Friends Are Racist): “Athletic and full of bravado. A Bundjalung boy, and new at Hartley High, he’s a basketball natural, hates sitting still, and makes friends easily.”

Dusty (Josh Heuston – Dive Club, Thor: Love and Thunder): “So gorgeous it hurts. He’s the bass player in an indie rock band and has slept with half the girls – and even a few boys – at school, but underneath the hot aesthetic he’s just as insecure as the rest of us mere humans.”

Ca$h (Will McDonald – Riot, Home and Away): “Drug dealer, food delivery driver, pet duck owner, eshay. Beneath the mullet, Ca$h is a complex young man quietly struggling with his identity.”

Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran – Diary of an Uber Driver, Mustangs FC) – “The coolest, sexiest, and chiccest lesbian at the school. She comes across as well-read and highly nuanced, but is it all surface level?”

Woodsy (Rachel House – Hunter for the Wilderpeople, Penguin Bloom): “The Principal at Hartley High. She likes to think of herself as a woke ally, but the students say she’s more of a ‘Karen’.”

Jojo (Chika Ikogwe – The Moth Effect, Fangirls): “An English teacher at Hartley High. When the school is mired in controversy, she volunteers to tackle the issue head on.”

Missy (Sherry-Lee Watson – On the Town, Mongrel): “Much more introspective than she lets on. She’s trying to find “her person” but it’s tough at Hartley High.”

Spider (Bryn Chapman-Parish – Mr Inbetween): “A sprinkling of incel, dickhead and class clown rolled into one.”

Ant (Brodie Townsend): “Affable, big-hearted, and the kind of guy who’ll always look out for you when you get too wasted at a party.”

Heartbreak High returns in 2022. Picture: Netflix

From the character descriptions, Heartbreak High seems to be delving into contemporary issues of identity, friendship and belonging.

The original series ran from 1994 to 1999 and was mainstay of the era. The series clocked in over 200 episodes and starred Alex Dimitriades, Abi Tucker, Callan Mulvey and Lara Cox.

Netflix commissioned the eight-episode series in December 2020 with a view to a 2022 premiere.

“Making Heartbreak High for today’s generation of Australians has been a longstanding dream,” Netflix director of content ANZ Que Minh Luu said. “We couldn’t be more stoked to be starting production on a show that means so much to so many of us, with a cohort of such incredible breakthrough talent stepping up both on screen and off.

“Teenage (and adult) me would be equally thrilled to be friends with or socially rejected by this outrageously talented cast.”

Chris Oliver Taylor and Carly Heaton are the executive producers, Sarah Freeman is producer and Anna Curtis is associate producer. Gracie Otto will be the set-up director before Neil Sharma, Jessie Oldfield and Adam Murfett take helm of subsequent episodes.

The series is created by Hannah Carroll Chapman with Megan Palinkas as script producer while writers include Carroll Chapman, Matthew Whittet, Marieke Hardy, Meyne Wyatt, Thomas Wilson White and Natesha Somasundaram.

Heartbreak High’s producing partners are Fremantle, NewBe and Netflix, with financial assistance from Screen NSW.