Freddie Highmore and David Shore are reigniting their professional collaboration in a thrilling new venture. The duo, who previously shared the screen in The Good Doctor, are now attached to I’m Not Here to Hurt You, a gripping drama series co-commissioned by Canadian streamer Crave and Sony Pictures Television (SPT). Blink49 Studios is spearheading production, with SPT serving as the distributor in the U.S. and internationally.
Shore and Highmore have co-created the series, with the latter taking the lead role. The story follows an upstanding family man who descends into a life of crime after a tragic bicycle accident, driven by his noble yet futile goal of never hurting anyone again. Inspired by the true tale of ‘Ireland’s most polite bank robber’ and The Irish Independent podcast of the same name, this show promises to be a heart-wrenching exploration of morality and consequence.
“We never quite finished our creative journey together,” 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. Now, we must dive back into the work.”
Their previous collaboration spanned seven seasons on ABC’s medical drama The Good Doctor, where Highmore portrayed a brilliant but autistic surgical resident.
“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 of Global Content at Bell Media. “Freddie’s ability to embody complex characters is unparalleled, 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 and Head of Creative at Sony Pictures Television. “They have a unique ability to create richly layered characters who are imperfect, complicated, and deeply relatable. 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.”
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 is the result of a creative partnership between 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, the team includes Kelsey-Ann Maria as Production Executive; Adam Feigen as Development Executive; Sarah Fowlie as Head of Production, Original Programming; Rachel Goldstein-Couto as Head of Development, Original Programming; Carolyn Klebuc as General Manager, Original Programming; and Stockman as Vice President, Global Content.
At Blink49 Studios, Pancho Mansfield is President of Global Scripted Television; Carolyn Newman is Executive Vice President of Global Scripted Television; Tashi Bieler is Senior Vice President and Head of Production; Yogita Puri is Executive Vice President and Head of Business Affairs; and Kate Sangster-Poole is Senior Vice President of 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 Shuman Company, and Bill Sobel.
