Deadline has reported that HBO Max’s How To Survive Without Me has promoted actor Will Yun Lee (The Wolverine, San Andreas) from guest star to series regular for the show. Lee will play as Dr. Marcus Chen in the upcoming drama series.
Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon, Arrow), Robbie Rogers (Fellow Travelers, All American) and Bash Doran (Outlaw King, Life After Life) are the official co-creators, writers, showrunners and executive producers for the show.
How to Survive Without Me landed a recent series order officially by HBO Max last month. The new series will consist of 15 episodes for the season. Each episode will run for one-hour and release weekly.
The show’s premise follows the De Angelis family set in Los Angeles, as they navigate life after their late mother’s passing, Beverly De Angelis. The family will have to have to put the time and effort to in order to stay connected as a family, without the guidance of their mother anymore.
Set to star as the main cast for the upcoming pilot are Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond, Ice Age) as Leo, Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory, The Flight Attendant) as Kate, Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s Creek, Doctor Odyssey) as Cooper, Julia Schlaepfer (1923, The Politician) as Liz, Tommy Dewey (Casual, Now We’re Talking) as Dan, Colette Porch (Hal & Harper) as Stephanie, Scarlett Abinante as Beth, newcomer child actor Matthew Kellison as Bennett, Ella Rubin (Until Dawn, Sterling Point) as Dottie, and Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) as Beverly, the De Angelis’s late mother. Lillian Davies (A Wedding for Belle, A Christmas…Present) will also be playing as a younger version of Kate in the series.
Previously announced series regulars in How to Survive Without Me are Jack Ball (Sirens, Kill the Monsters) as Cary, Kylar Miranda (On Swift Horses, Minx) as Luis, and Julian Grey (Fear of the Walking Dead, The Matrix Resurrections) as PJ.
Guests stars to appear in the pilot season are Genevieve Angelson (The Chicken Sisters, Which Brings Me To You) as Molly, Kevin Changaris (Succession, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) as Todd Henderson, Dar Zuzovksy (Corduroy, Vanished) as Maya, Pressley Hosbach (Dance Moms, Stage Fright) as Madison, Sofía Rodríguez-Toymil (The Cold War, Negative Space) as Zara, Richard Blackmon (NCIS: Origins, Wonder Man), Katie Monds (The Wraith, Elephant Department), Joe Romano (Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs, Somewhere in Queens), and Katie Aselton (The League, Black Rock).
Lee recently appeared alongside Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan) in Christopher Nolan’s (Oppenheimer, Tenant) latest movie release this past summer, The Odyssey, as part of Odysseus’s crew playing as Anchialus.
How to Survive Without Me is currently in production. The show is scheduled to premiere on HBO Max in 2027.