Shadowhunters actor Harry Shum Jr. signs on for new pilot
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shum is going to be appearing in the upcoming pilot Heart of Life, which is based on the John Mayer song. Mayer is an executive producer on the series, and we gotta say that just on paper, this is a path to production like no other. How many shows out there are based on songs?
Anyhow, take a look at the series logline below for more details:
The drama follows two sets of adult siblings from wildly different worlds who discover they are related and must reassess everything they thought they knew about their shared father. As they explore the mysteries of their separate childhoods, they’ll experience the difficulty in overcoming the sins of the past and learn the joys of reuniting with long-lost family.
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Shum is going to play one of the siblings in Brendan, a “self-centered world traveler who is good at getting by on his father’s money.” (In other words, this guy is the opposite of Magnus Bane, one of the most selfless people out there.) Meanwhile, How to Get Away with Murder alum Katie Findlay is also appearing on the show as sister Sydney, an “ambitious, caring and awkward type-A personality” who take over her father’s architecture firm.
This show bears some similarities to another ABC his in A Million Little Things, at least in terms of its subject matter and the propensity for characters to hold secrets. If this turns out to be the case, we’re anticipating a smart, thought-provoking drama that allows for wonderful, emotional performances.
In casting Shum and Findlay, ABC is also bringing on board people with some familiarity with the infrastructure. New ABC programming head Karey Burke came over recently from Freeform, the home of Shadowhunters for the past few years. Meanwhile, Findlay was a part of the ABC family during her time on the aforementioned Viola Davis series.
What this casting means for Harry fans
You have a chance to see him on TV again soon! There is no guarantee that this series is picked up beyond a pilot, so it’s best to not get overly excited as of yet. If it does get the order, it could premiere really at any point between fall 2019 and summer 2020 — that’s a wide range, but that’s how networks often run things.
As for whether or not this prohibits Harry from ever coming back to the Shadowhunters world if they get a chance to do a movie or a limited run down the line, have no fear — networks have a tendency to be flexible these days! James Roday is doing Psych: The Movie 2 during his time off from A Million Little Things, while Kristen Bell is doing both The Good Place and then also Veronica Mars. Rejoice because this is a chance for more people potentially to discovery Harry’s greatness as an actor and go back and discover his past work… like Shadowhunters!
When’s the next new episode of Shadowhunters going to air?
Think Monday. You can watch a new preview for what’s ahead here.
What do you think about Harry Shum Jr.’s new pilot over on ABC? Share some of your thoughts in the comments. (Photo: Freeform.)