Laurence Fishburne Signs on to CSI
August 18, 2008

After reports surfaced that actor Laurence Fishburne was in talks to take over the lead investigative role on CSI following the departure of William Petersen, the veteran Fishburne is now officially signed on to the series. In an official statement released by CBS, Laurence Fishburne will be joining the cast for the ninth season of CSI, playing... "a former pathologist who is now working as an itinerant college lecturer, teaching a course in criminalistics. His focus is on understanding criminal behavior, how and why people commit acts of violence – tendencies he disturbingly sees within himself. In the course of a murder investigation, he comes into contact with the CSI team and ultimately joins the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a Level-1 CSI."

When William Petersen made the decision to step out of the shoes of Gil Grissom, CBS knew they had big shoes to fill. Although Petersen leaves a huge void given his popularity over eight successful seasons, it didn’t take long for CSI executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar to narrow down who they wanted to replace Gil Grissom. "CBS asked us, 'Who's at the top of your dream list?'... ‘Without hesitation, we said Laurence Fishburne. He is a powerful and intense actor, with an incredible range. We had the opportunity to see Mr. Fishburne in 'Thurgood' on Broadway a few weeks ago, and it was a truly profound experience. The actor disappeared and Thurgood Marshall was standing there on the stage. Mr. Fishburne is also a talented writer and director. If you distill CSI down to its essence, it's a collaboration - and we are so looking forward to collaborating with Mr. Fishburne. For all of us at CSI, this is truly a dream.’"

As for Laurence Fishburne’s thoughts on joining the cast of one of the most popular shows on TV, according to the official release, he was all class about his future on CSI. "I am elated and delighted to be joining the cast of CSI... I look forward to a wonderful collaboration with the creative and talented team of such a successful and distinguished show."