‘Heated Rivalry’ creator Jacob Tierney set to helm Netflix drama about Alexander the Great and Aristotle
'Heated Rivalry' creator Jacob Tierney is ready for his next television adaptation. After focusing on hockey rivals in his Crave Original series, he will next bring the complicated relationship between two of history's greatest men to the small screen. The 46-year-old Canadian director and screenwriter is set to write and direct a period drama for Netflix titled 'Alexander,' centered on the mentorship between philosopher Aristotle and his pupil, Alexander the Great. It's based on the Canadian author Annabel Lyon's 2009 novel, 'The Golden Mean.' The streamer has already given a series order for the historical drama, Deadline reported on March 5. Tierney will executive produce the project alongside 'Heated Rivalry' EP Brendan Brady, Jason Bateman, and Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films.
As per its official description, the series “begins as the Athenian empire is crumbling and the world’s greatest mind, 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.” During the press release on March 5, Tierney told Netflix that this project was a long time coming. "I fell in love with Annabel Lyon’s book ‘The Golden Mean’ years ago and have been dreaming of telling this story ever since. Brendan and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this insanely compelling world to life,” he said.
Moreover, Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series, added that her company was excited to collaborate with Tierney. She said, “Jacob Tierney is one of the most exciting, in-demand creative voices working today, and we are thrilled to work with him on 'Alexander.' We were immediately captivated by his vision for adapting Annabel Lyon’s acclaimed novel." She then gave some insight into the upcoming show and added, "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.”
However, it will be a while before the director films the historic battle scenes for 'Alexander,' as he will be returning to the ice rink for the second season of the hockey drama 'Heated Rivalry' this year. Tierney, who created, wrote, and directed all six episodes of the first season, is currently working on Season 2, which was greenlit in December 2025. The show's highly-anticipated second installment will go into production in August of this year, he confirmed while speaking to Gayle King on CBS Mornings in February. He assured fans that the series will be back on the screen "as soon as humanly possible." Moreover, a spokesperson for Crave confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the series is "aiming for a spring 2027 premiere.”
