Reopening Hollywood North

Update: Production ramp up shut down on July 31st over testing issues.

Freddie Highmore is already self-quarantining for two weeks in Vancouver with his partner.

“He loves Vancouver, they’re both happy here, so that isn’t tough,” local uber producer Shawn Williamson told CTV News.

The British actor is the  brilliant, autistic Dr. Shaun Murphy on the hit ABC series.

Cameras are expected to start rolling on season 4 in four weeks.

Filming dates: August 4th to April 13th, 2021 (via DGC-BC Production List).

Related: Can Shaun Social Distance? The Good Doctor  Starts Filming Season 4 This Summer in Vancouver.

The show’s American Director of Photography Christopher Faloona just completed his two weeks of self-quarantine in a hotel room.

Other cast, creators and crew from outside Canada will have to do the 14-day Canadian government-mandated  self-quarantine before going to set, too.

Cast: Freddie Highmore, Richard Schiff, Antonia Thomas, Hil Harper, Fiona Gubelmann, Will Yun Lee, Christina Chang, Paige Spara.

Production will be slower and more expensive because of new Covid-19 safeguards put in place.

Preparations started three weeks ago at Bridge Studios in Burnaby — installing hand-sanitizer stations and  altering some sets.

Here are some of the safeguards as told to CTV News.

. Cast and crew are screened on arrival every day. A nurse takes their temperature and asks questions about their health.

. Hands must be sanitized and masks must be worn on the studio soundstages and in the offices.

. Sets have been reconfigured to allow more social distancing and camera operators are using more crane shots to get further away from cast.

Where did we leave the show?

The Good Doctor will return without original cast member Nicholas Gonzalez, whose character Dr. Neil Melendez died from internal injuries sustained when a brewery collapsed during an earthquake in the season 3 finale.

Related: The Good Doctor Said Goodbye to Dr. Neil Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) on Its Season Finale

Jasika Nicole  won’t return as a series regular either. She played Shaun’s girlfriend in season 3 but broke up with him because of his feelings for Lea.

Season 3 ended with Shaun and  Lea sharing a passionate kiss.

That would have been an uplifting way to wrap if not for the tragic death back at St. Bonaventure Hospital.

Showrunner: David Shore

Early in the pandemic,  The Good Doctor production office made arrangements with the BC government about which medical supplies it could provide.

Related: The Good Doctor and A Million Things on ABC’s Fall Schedule in Regular Time Slots.

The Good Doctor season 4 will premiere sometime this Fall on ABC — Mondays at 10 p.m.