Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney has lined up his next project, and he's leaving the world of the hockey rink behind for palace intrigue.
Jacob will adapt Annabel Lyon’s novel The Golden Mean, which follows the story of Alexander the Great and his tutor, the philosopher Aristotle, for global streaming service Netflix.
© Bruce Glikas/WireImage"I fell in love with Annabel Lyon’s book The Golden Mean years ago and have been dreaming of telling this story ever since," said Jacob. "Brendan and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this insanely compelling world to life.
Alexander the Great was the son of King Philip II of Macedon and Queen Olympias, but became known for using his charisma and ruthless military tactics to conquer the largest empire the world had ever seen as a young King. Alexander conducted a lengthy, undefeated military campaign throughout Asia and Egypt, and is known now as one of history's greatest and most successful military commanders.
Jacob's series begins as the Athenian empire is crumbling and Aristotle arrives in Macedonia to tutor a volatile young prince, Alexander. "Amid palace intrigue, forbidden love, brutal war and ruthless ambitions, their unlikely friendship shapes an empire and alters the course of history," reads the logline.
Michael Costigan and Jason Bateman of Aggregate Films will executive produce the series, alongside Brendan Brady (Heated Rivalry) of Accent Aigu Entertainment.
© HBO"Jacob Tierney is one of the most exciting, in-demand creative voices working today, and we are thrilled to work with him on Alexander," says Jinny Howe, Netflix’s Head of US and Canada Scripted Series.
"We were immediately captivated by his vision for adapting Annabel Lyon’s acclaimed novel. This series reimagines the classic power struggle between mentor and protégé with a raw, modern energy that feels both epic and incredibly intimate. This high-stakes drama is poised to deeply resonate with our global audience, and we look forward to bringing it to life with the deftly talented Jason Bateman and the Aggregate Films team."
The Golden Mean was an international bestseller that landed in bookstores in 2010.
Heated Rivalry became a global phenomenon at the end of 2025. Based on Rachel Reid's second book in the Game Changer series, the show follows Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov (played by newcomers Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie), Major League Hockey players who meet the summer before their rookie season and embark on a beautiful but fragile decade-long situationship, both afraid to come out for their own heartbreakingly valid reasons.
The success of the series, which airs on HBO Max in the US, has been attributed by some to the graphic and bold sex scenes – "sex sells," after all – but episode five featured no sex and is now the top rated episode of all time on iMdb.
The finale places its entire focus on the decision Shane and Ilya now have to make after watching their league rival Scott Hunter (Francois Arnaud) publicly come out as gay on national TV after kissing his boyfriend Kip Grady after winning the cup.
Jacob adapted the series and directed all six episodes. He is currently working on adapting the sixth book, The Long Game, which is the follow-up to Heated Rivalry and will tell Shane and Ilya's story as they embark on a hidden relationship.
