The NCIS franchise continues to grow. In addition to a European spin-off, we can expect a prequel series about the young Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who was played by Mark Harmon in the main series
There’s exciting news from the NCIS universe. At the beginning of the year, we reported that a new spin-off of the successful crime series is in development. It is a prequel that tells the story of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. It has now been decided who will play the character.
Gibbs is one of the central NCIS characters and was originally played by Mark Harmon in the main series. From 2003 to 2021, he appeared in a total of 418 episodes and investigated a wide variety of cases. Now we get to know his successor and predecessor: the American actor Austin Stowell.
New NCIS series about Mark Harmon’s Gibbs: Austin Stowell plays the young version of the crime legend
As Variety reports, Stowell has been cast as the lead actor of NCIS: Origins and will now play the young Gibbs. Stowell already has several film and series projects behind him. He is known from George Clooney’s Catch-22 series, among others. He has also appeared in films such as Bridge of Spies, Whiplash and Battle of the Sexes.
(Austin Stowell in A Friend of the Family)
Gibbs in NCIS: Origins marks Stowell’s biggest role to date. He is not a complete stranger to the franchise. Back in 2010, he made a guest appearance as a supporting actor in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. Specifically, he can be seen in the 4th episode of season 2. Back then, however, he played a completely different role, namely that of Marine Corporal Andrew Peterson.
NCIS: Origins also features a return that many NCIS fans will be looking forward to. Three years after leaving the parent series, Mark Harmon is returning. However, he is not expected to appear in front of the camera, or only briefly. In NCIS: Origins, he primarily acts as the narrator of the story.
The story is set in 1991, several years before the events of Navy CIS. Gibbs is still at the very beginning of his career. However, it is not long before he meets another NCIS legend: Mark Franks. In the original, he was played by Muse Watson. The young casting has not yet been revealed
