Hudson Williams has encountered a creative problem that comes with having a recognizable breakout role.
Since Heated Rivalry, audiences have associated him with Shane Hollander, the professional hockey player whose secret relationship with rival Ilya Rozanov drives the series.
Now Williams is writing a movie in which one character also has a background in hockey.
The similarity has made him hesitate.
He and his collaborators have discussed changing the character's sport to avoid an obvious connection with the television show.
But there is a complication.
Williams believes the character makes more sense as a former hockey player.
The alternative may solve a problem of public perception while creating a problem for the story itself.
A new screenplay includes a retired hockey player
The information first emerged in an Entertainment Weekly interview published on October 21, 2026.
Williams was speaking alongside Carrie-Anne Moss during promotion for their mystery series Yaga.
He explained that he was currently writing a movie involving a character who used to play hockey.
He did not reveal whether the character was the protagonist or part of a larger ensemble.
Nor did he identify the film's genre.
Instead, he described a creative hesitation.
Because he has already become closely associated with a hockey series, Williams and his collaborators have considered giving the new character a different sporting background.
Changing the sport might reduce the resemblance between the two projects.
But the actor acknowledged that hockey continued to feel right for the character.
That leaves him weighing the integrity of the story against the expectations audiences might bring to it.
Heated Rivalry has changed how audiences see him
Heated Rivalry has substantially increased Williams' public profile.
Created by Jacob Tierney from Rachel Reid's novels, the Canadian series follows two professional hockey players whose private romantic relationship develops alongside their public sporting rivalry.
Williams plays Shane Hollander.
Connor Storrie portrays Ilya Rozanov.
Hockey is central to the characters' identities.
Their careers, professional ambitions and public images shape the circumstances in which their relationship can develop.
That makes the sport an important part of how viewers recognize the series.
It also means that another hockey-related character played or created by Williams could attract immediate comparisons.
But recognizing a shared subject does not establish that two stories are fundamentally similar.
A former athlete confronting life after retirement may have little in common with a professional player still pursuing career success.
The challenge is deciding whether the resemblance matters artistically or merely appears significant from the outside.
The obstacle may be entirely self-imposed
Williams does not describe the issue as a restriction imposed by a studio.
He has not said that a producer demanded the elimination of hockey from the screenplay.
His concern appears to be creative rather than contractual.
He and his collaborators may be overthinking how the project relates to his best-known role.
That distinction is important.
Two stories can share a recognizable setting without exploring the same characters or themes.
A sport can carry very different meanings depending on the protagonist's age, personal circumstances and relationship with competition.
Changing a character's profession does not automatically make the character original.
Originality also comes from motivation, conflict, relationships and the decisions that shape a narrative.
Williams appears to be questioning whether avoiding a familiar subject is a useful creative objective in itself.
The answer remains unresolved.
Carrie-Anne Moss had a similar reaction to John Wick
Williams introduced the subject while responding to a story from Carrie-Anne Moss.
The actress was discussing a reference to John Wick in Yaga.
Her character mentions the action franchise, which stars Keanu Reeves.
Moss has a longstanding professional relationship and personal friendship with Reeves, her co-star in The Matrix films.
She initially felt uncomfortable about making a reference to a movie so closely associated with someone she knew.
Eventually, she came to accept it as part of the fictional world of Yaga.
Her experience prompted Williams to discuss the similar hesitation surrounding his screenplay.
Both actors were considering how an existing association might affect a new piece of work.
There is an important difference, however.
Moss was discussing a reference included in a completed television production.
Williams was describing an aspect of a screenplay that could still change.
Williams was writing and directing before Heated Rivalry
Fans who know Williams primarily as an actor may be surprised that he is developing his own screenplay.
But writing is not a new interest.
Before his role in Heated Rivalry, he wrote and directed several short films.
Entertainment Weekly identified Soakers, Buttons and Inside Augustine Mendoza's Quotidian Apartment among those earlier projects.
The current screenplay therefore extends creative ambitions that existed before his recent television success.
However, the exact nature of his involvement in the potential feature remains limited to what he has confirmed.
Williams has not announced that he will direct the movie.
He has not said that he intends to star in it.
Writing a script does not automatically guarantee financing, production or a theatrical release.
For now, the verified development is that Williams is working on a screenplay.
Its future remains uncertain.
The film has no announced title or production schedule
Very little is known about the proposed movie.
Entertainment Weekly reported that when its interviewer asked Williams for further details, the actor's team declined to continue discussing the project.
No title has been announced.
There is no confirmed director, supporting cast or studio.
No detailed synopsis has been released.
There is also no filming schedule or premiere date.
That lack of information does not necessarily indicate a production problem.
It may simply reflect the project's early writing stage.
Nevertheless, it would be inaccurate to describe the film as officially greenlit or about to begin shooting.
Williams has confirmed that he is writing.
He has not announced a completed production package.
Yaga already offers a very different kind of role
Williams' other projects already demonstrate that his career is not limited to sports romance.
Yaga premiered on October 23, 2026, on AMC+ in the United States and Crave in Canada.
Created by Kat Sandler and based on her stage play, the show reinterprets the Baba Yaga legend as a contemporary mystery.
Williams plays two characters.
Henry Park is the heir to a fishing business who mysteriously disappears.
Logan Casey is Henry's roommate, who bears a striking physical resemblance to him.
Private investigator Rapp, played by Noah Reid, becomes involved in the disappearance.
Carrie-Anne Moss portrays Katherine Hargrove, a university professor connected to the town where the events unfold.
The series combines crime, supernatural elements and questions of identity.
For Williams, performing two connected but distinct roles offers a different challenge from playing Shane Hollander.
The project also provides a clear example of how he can move between genres without abandoning the show that made him widely recognizable.
More acting projects are on the way
Williams is also attached to several upcoming films.
He is among the announced performers in Apparatus, a darkly comedic thriller featuring Dylan O'Brien.
He is also part of the cast of Tyrant, a thriller set in the culinary world.
That production includes Charlize Theron, Julia Garner, Demi Moore and Omar Apollo.
These roles offer opportunities to work in different storytelling environments.
At the same time, production on Heated Rivalry Season 2 is continuing in Canada.
Williams is expected to return as Shane Hollander alongside Connor Storrie.
His career therefore currently combines two paths.
One involves continuing the role that brought him widespread attention.
The other involves exploring different parts of the industry and continuing to develop his own material.
There is no indication that he must choose between acting and screenwriting.
The confirmed information suggests he is pursuing both.
Would changing the sport actually improve the story?
Williams' dilemma raises a broader question about how actors manage familiar associations.
A performer who becomes famous for playing a doctor, detective or athlete may face comparisons whenever a later project features similar material.
But avoiding every recognizable similarity can become an artistic limitation.
A character does not become more original simply because a visible detail changes.
What matters is how the detail functions within the narrative.
If hockey is essential to the background and emotional development of Williams' character, removing it could weaken the screenplay.
If the sport is incidental, another athletic background might work equally well.
Only the actual story can establish which is true.
And that story has not been made public.
The available comments therefore cannot support a definite conclusion about what Williams should do.
They reveal the uncertainty he is navigating rather than establishing a problem with the proposed movie itself.
A new creative challenge after a breakout success
The movie Williams is writing currently has no announced title, cast or production date.
Its plot remains largely secret.
But the actor has revealed a genuine writing concern.
He is unsure whether keeping a former hockey player in the screenplay will make his next project feel too closely connected to Heated Rivalry.
At the same time, he believes that particular background serves the character better than the alternatives.
The dilemma is not simply about escaping Shane Hollander's shadow.
It is about deciding how much influence a successful role should have over the stories an artist creates afterward.
Williams has not disclosed his final decision.
And if the movie eventually reaches production, the character's sporting background may prove to be only one small element of a much larger story.
For now, the comments show an actor trying to ensure that the success that opened new opportunities for him does not unnecessarily restrict what he chooses to write next.
