Harry Shum Jr. to Headline Realm’s New Crime Thriller Podcast, ‘Echo Park’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One would think that science fiction and crime stories, wouldn’t go together in the slightest. After all, science fiction is hopeful and forward thinking in nature and crime dramas examine the darkest parts of the human condition, meaning that neither of those genres have a single thing in common. But as the creative world has proven time and time again… with the right story anything can be accomplished. Since we’ve been treated to stories that fuse these genres together seamlessly and wow us in the process and well… the wonder of that fusion is top of mind today for one reason and one reason alone.
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For earlier today, Realm Media announced that Harry Shum Jr. is going to Executive Produce and star in a brand-new Crime Thriller Podcast for the network, entitled, Echo Park. A story that brings together wonder of Los Angeles Detective Noir with the flair of science fiction courtesy of a unique and engaging plot that involves… well… it’s best we let Realm Media inform you of the details of what will be another fantastic fusion of sci-fi and crime-themed storytelling, courtesy of this synopsis and trailer.

‘Realm, the largest scripted podcast network that creates immersive, original fiction podcasts and audiobook series, today released the trailer and announced casting for the Realm Original, “Echo Park,” starring and executive produced by Harry Shum Jr.  (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “All My Life”) launching August 18. 
 
This pulse-pounding crime thriller takes place in a lightly futuristic world where Echoes—genetic clones of their sources— exist and live on the outskirts of society. James (Harry Shum Jr.) and Terrance share DNA, but they aren’t brothers. They aren’t even friends. As a civil advisor for the LAPD harboring a secret addiction, James relies on Terrance— his genetic clone—to help him pass mandatory drug testing. But when Terrance suddenly goes missing, and multiple clones end up murdered, a case of mistaken identity forces James to inhabit his double’s life, risking the unraveling of his carefully composed lies.
 
Shum Jr. said: “The team at Realm have created a compelling thriller that cleverly mixes detective noir, sci-fi-what-if's and daringly tackles the social implications of how our future world might look if we were faced with clones of our stranger selves. Excited to help tell this original story through an Asian-American lense and for audiences to experience "Echo Park".
 
Molly Barton, Realm’s founder and CEO, said: “It was an absolute joy partnering with Harry on this project. And his connection with this character was abundantly clear from the minute we began recording.  He's beloved by so many and we believe audiences will fall in love with Harry yet again when they engage with this incredible performance.” 
 
“Echo Park'' episodes release weekly on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher, the podcast will also be available in full and ad-free on premiere day for subscribers to Realm+ and Realm Unlimited. 
 
Harry Shum Jr., recently cast in the upcoming 19th season of ABC’s venerable medical drama "Grey’s Anatomy," stars and executive produced “Echo Park. Written by Curtis C. Chen, Monte Lin, Millie Ho, Sloane Leong, and Jenn Reese. Produced by Rhoda Belleza, Fred Greenhalgh, Kailynn West, and Hayley Wagreich. Directed by Pun Bandhu. Executive produced by Molly Barton, Marci Wiseman, Julian Yap, and Harry Shum Jr. Associate produced by Michael Coulter. Starring Harry Shum Jr. and Nikki Tauzon. Loop group actors: David Chen, James Taku Leung, Constance Parng, and Artemis Snow. Sound design by Christa Giametti. Mixing and mastering by Rory O’Shea. Audio editing by Justin DeWald. Original score by Martin D. Fowler. Music supervision by Marcus Bagala. Production Manager: Alexis Latshaw. Production Coordinator: Angela Yih. Casting by Sunday Boling and Meg Morman. Cover art by Kyndal Thomas and Louis Dazy. Executive in Charge for Realm: Mary Assadullahi. Find more shows like Echo Park by following Realm on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at Realm.fm.’

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