Mission
accomplished. CBS finally announced that the starring role in the successful TV
show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” will be taken by award-winning actor of
screen and stage Laurence Fishburne.
The Emmy and Tony award winner will take the lead of the
series following William Petersen’s decision to leave “CSI” after starring in
almost 10 seasons of the crime drama. The network told The Associated Press
that Laurence Fishburne would be on the cast list starting with the ninth
episode of the upcoming 10th season, playing a forensic investigator
with alarming inclinations.
However, it won’t be easy for Fishburne. He’s a greenhorn in
what concerns the storyline of the popular TV series. When asked if he was a
fan of “CSI,” he told a teleconference on Monday that he had no idea what the
series was about until he was approached by the show’s executive producers,
Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar.
“I felt a little stupid and embarrassed that I hadn’t
watched the show prior to having a meeting with them,” the actor, aged 47,
confessed, as reported by Reuters. “But I’m happy to say that the episodes that
they sent me to look at were really, really engaging and really wonderful, and
kind of dark and moody, like a lot of the work that I’ve actually been involved
in,” he added, according to the same source. “So I’m very excited.’
The executive producers of the much talked about television
series said that Laurence Fishburne was their first choice, as his previous
work tones with the drama’s deep tendency. The diligent actor hasn’t had a role
in an ongoing series since he impersonated Cowboy Curtis on “Pee-wee’s
Playhouse” kids show in the late 1980s.
Nonetheless, Fishburne will play a college lecturer and ex
pathologist who is very interested in the reason why people are violent.
Although the character does not have a name yet, it has been dubbed “The
Professor,” according to the AP. He will meet the “CSI” members during a murder
investigation and will wind up joining the team.
In spite of the fact that the air date for William
Petersen’s last episode was not established up to now, it probably will be
early next year. The actor has been starring in the show since its debut in
2000 and is very likely to remain an executive producer of the series.
In 1992, Laurence Fishburne
received a Tony Award for his stage performance in the August Wilson
play, “Two Trains Running,” and an Emmy Award for his acting in the opening episode
of the brief anthology series TV drama “TriBeCa.” In addition to this, one year
later, the actor received an Oscar nomination for portraying Ike Turner in
“What’s Love Got to Do With It?.”
He was also on the cast list for big productions such as
“The Matrix,” “Apocalypse Now,” “21” and “Mystic River”
and “The Death and Life of Bobby Z.”
The new season of “Crime Scene Investigation” is due to
start on October 9 and executive producer Naren Shankar said the series
wouldn’t be affected by Petersen’s departure, the AP reported.
