Hudson Williams Says New Film Script Has a ‘Heated Rivalry’ Parallel

Hudson Williams is writing a new film featuring a former hockey player, but his association with “Heated Rivalry” is complicating that creative choice. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in an interview reported by Variety, the actor said he was “getting tripped up” by the overlap with the Canadian queer hockey romance that brought him wider recognition.

Williams said other sports were being considered for the character because of the potential comparison. Even so, he explained that a hockey background made more sense for the person he was writing, leaving him weighing the character’s needs against associations with his television work.

The project marks a continuation of Williams’ work behind the camera rather than an entirely new pursuit. Before the success of “Heated Rivalry,” he wrote and directed short films including “Soakers,” “Buttons” and “Inside Augustine Mendoza’s Quotidian Apartment,” establishing a filmmaking background alongside his acting career.

His comments emerged during an Entertainment Weekly conversation with Carrie-Anne Moss for their detective-thriller series “Yaga.” Moss had been discussing her initial hesitation about a reference to “John Wick,” the action franchise starring her friend and “The Matrix” co-star Keanu Reeves. Williams responded by describing the comparable hesitation affecting his screenplay.

For Williams, the question was whether having already appeared in a hockey series should influence a separate writing decision. He framed the obstacle as partly self-imposed, suggesting that the connection between an actor’s existing work and a new story can become a mental constraint. His remarks did not establish a narrative connection between the movie and “Heated Rivalry.”

Further details about the screenplay remain undisclosed. Entertainment Weekly reported that his team declined a follow-up request to elaborate, leaving the film’s premise, the former player’s place in the story and Williams’ potential on-screen involvement unclear. The interview offered a glimpse of his writing process rather than a detailed production announcement.

The conversation also came as Williams discussed a different acting challenge in “Yaga,” where he plays two characters. One is Henry Park, an heir to a fishery empire whose disappearance drives the mystery; the other is Logan Casey, Henry’s lookalike roommate. The series places those performances within a story drawing on the Baba Yaga myth.

Williams’ other reported screen projects include the comedic thriller “Apparatus,” opposite Dylan O’Brien, and the culinary thriller “Tyrant.” The latter’s ensemble includes Charlize Theron, Julia Garner, Demi Moore and Omar Apollo. Variety also reported that production on the second season of “Heated Rivalry” began in August.

For the screenplay, the unresolved decision is whether hockey remains part of the character’s history. Williams indicated that the sport still felt like the strongest fit, despite the familiar association. Until he shares more, the project remains a writing endeavor with a disclosed creative dilemma, not a fully outlined film.