Harry Shum Jr., Katie Findlay Set to Star in ABC Drama Inspired by John Mayer Song

Harry Shum Jr. and Katie Findlay are ready to get down to some John Mayer.

The Crazy Rich Asians and Shadowhunters star and How to Get Away With Murder grad will feature in Heart of Life, an ABC pilot inspired by the John Mayer song of the same name.

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 will experience the difficulty in overcoming the sins of the past and learn the joys of reuniting with long-lost family.

Shum and Findlay will play siblings Brendan and Sydney Winter. Sydney is described as ambitious, caring and awkward and a type-A personality who takes over her father’s architecture firm. Brendan is a self-centered world traveler who is good at getting by on his father’s money and is often the voice of reason.

Ben Queen (Powerless) will pen the script and executive produce alongside Grammy-winner Mayer, Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan and Paul Weitz. Anne Fletcher will direct the pilot, which is a co-production between 20th Century Fox TV and ABC Studios.

The casting reunites Shum — one of pilot season’s most sought-after actors — with ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke, with whom he worked during her time at Freeform on the younger-skewing cabler’s Shadowhunters. The Glee grad most recently filmed the box office hit Crazy Rich Asians and is rumored to be the next romantic lead in the sequel. Shum will next be seen in Lionsgate’s Escape Plan 3: Devil’s Station and the indie Burn. His credits also include Netflix’s Crouching Tigher Hidden Dragon II — The Green Destiny. He is repped by Paradigm, Triniti Management and Stone Genow.

Findlay, meanwhile, recently wrapped the FX comedy Man Seeking Woman. The Heart of Life role brings the actress back to ABC after she previously starred on Shondaland’s How to Get Away With Murder. Findlay’s credits include The CW’s The Carrie Diaries and the breakout first season of AMC’s The Killing. She next will be seen on an episode of the CBS All Access anthology The Twilight Zone and in the feature Straight Up. Findlay is repped by Thruline Entertainment and Pacific Artists Management.  

Keep up with the latest broadcast pilot season pickups, castings and series orders with The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual guide.

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