Freddie Highmore and David Shore are getting back into business together.
The Good Doctor pair are attached to I’m Not Here to Hurt You, a drama series co-commission for Canadian streamer Crave and Sony Pictures Television (SPT). Blink49 Studios is producing with SPT the distributor in the U.S. and Canada.
Shore and Highmore are the co-creators, with the latter in the leading role. The series follows an upstanding family man who spirals into a life of crime after killing someone in a bicycle accident, driven by the noble but futile goal of never hurting anyone ever again. The show is inspired by the true story of the man who became known as ‘Ireland’s most polite bank robber,’ and The Irish Independent podcast of the same name.
“We weren’t quite done with each other after all,” said Shore and Highmore in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be collaborating again, excited to return to Canada alongside our partners at Bell and Blink49 Studios, and grateful for Sony’s continued support. And now we have to get to work.”
The pair had teamed for seven seasons of ABC medical The Good Doctor, in which Highmore played a autistic surgical resident with genius-level abilities.
“This new series marks an exciting moment for Crave as we continue to build our portfolio of compelling, premium original content with international appeal,” said Justin Stockman, VP, Global Content, Bell Media. “Freddie’s ability to embody complex characters is second to none, and we’re delighted to collaborate with celebrated Canadian creative, David Shore, on our first-ever project with Sony Pictures Television.”
“David and Freddie have an extraordinary creative partnership built on trust, collaboration, and a shared passion for powerful storytelling,” added Lauren Stein, EVP, Head of Creative, Sony Pictures Television. “They have a unique ability to create richly layered characters who are imperfect, complicated, and deeply relatable, the kind of characters audiences genuinely care about. We couldn’t be more excited to reunite with them for I’m Not Here to Hurt You and are grateful to our partners at Bell Media, Crave, and Blink49 Studios.”
“David Shore and Freddie Highmore have created a truly compelling and emotionally complex series with enormous international potential,” said John Morayniss, CEO, Blink49 Studios. “We’re excited to collaborate with Bell Media and Sony Pictures Television on I’m Not Here to Hurt You to bring this exceptional story to audiences around the world.”
The show is being added to SPT’s LA Screenings presentation today, where clients will get an exclusive preview of the series. Highmore is also attached to another new SPT show on the slate, Chocolate Wars, which was officially unveiled at Britbox and UKTV this week.
I’m Not Here to Hurt You comes from Shore and Highmore, who also serve as non-writing executive producers alongside Claire Londy for the latter’s Alfresco Pictures and Erin Gunn for the former’s ShoreZ.
For Crave owner Bell, which was the commissioner of Heated Rivalry, Kelsey-Ann Maria is Production Executive; Adam Feigen is Development Executive; Sarah Fowlie is Head of Production, Original Programming; Rachel Goldstein-Couto is Head of Development, Original Programming; Carlyn Klebuc is General Manager, Original Programming; and Stockman is Vice President, Global Content.
For Blink49 Studios, Pancho Mansfield is President, Global Scripted Television; Carolyn Newman is Executive Vice President, Global Scripted Television; Tashi Bieler is Senior Vice President, Head of Production; Yogita Puri is Executive Vice President, Head of Business Affairs; and Kate Sangster-Poole is Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs.
Highmore is represented by Artist’s Rights Group, Creative Artists Agency and Toczek Suddleson and is currently under a first look deal at SPT through his Alfresco banner. Shore is represented by Chris Silbermann at CAA, Larry Shuman at the The Shuman Company and Bill Sobel.
