NCIS: ORIGINS Promises ‘So Much to Explore’
By Movieguide® Contributor
NCIS: ORIGINS showrunner Mark D. Cross is giving fans of the franchise a sneak peek at what they can expect from the prequel series.
NCIS: ORIGINS “follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs as he starts his career as part of the Naval Investigative Service operating out of Camp Pendleton,” per IMDb.
The series is unique in the NCIS-verse, as it’s the first show in the franchise set in the past, telling the backstory of already-known characters. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some surprises in store.
“They don’t know as much as they think they do,” Cross said of NCIS’ fans. “Seeing Gibbs arrive at NIS on Day 1, and seeing how Gibbs became Gibbs…? You will realize there’s so much to explore.”
Co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal added that NCIS: ORIGINS will delve into Gibbs’ relationship with Michael Franks, a supporting character in the original series.
“It gives Gibbs a different kind of shading than we’ve seen before as a character,” she explained.
Mark Harmon, who originated the role of Gibbs, is set to have a hand in the show — the actor will serve as an executive producer on NCIS: ORIGINS and will narrate the series.
“I’m fine with the stepback role and [to] let the [new] cast do the work,” Harmon told USA Today. “I’m pleased to be part of it. I’m a distant part. I’m just here to support.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Austin Stowell, the star of NCIS: ORIGINS:
As season one of NCIS: ORIGINS draws near, Mark Harmon explained why he and his fellow showrunners believe Austin Stowell is a perfect fit to take on the role of young Gibbs.
“I always thought there was a calm that was important. It’s a lot for an actor to come into a room with that kind of burden on a load to try to say, ‘Can I physically look like that person? Can I be that person?’ I thought Austin just was himself,” Harmon told Parade.
“[Stowell] walked out of the [audition] and [executive producer Gina Lucita Monreal] said, ‘That guy is a star.’ That’s what she said,” Harmon continued. “The truth of is, he lit the room. You’re in a room for a long time with people coming in one after another and you just go with an instinct. That’s what we’ve done.”
“What I was excited about was the fact that he had the core of what I think Gibbs is,” Monreal added, “which is this broken character but also this immense strength. I feel like that’s really a difficult balance to achieve, and I think Austin does that.”
Stowell is excited about the series as he believes it provides audiences with a new look at Gibbs and shows the trials he had to face before becoming the strong, collected leader they know him as from NCIS.
“This is a Gibbs that is dealing with the loss of his wife and child,” Stowell said. “This is not the Gibbs that the world knows right now, the team leader who’s always so put together. This is somebody who’s broken. This is somebody who’s searching for his identity, trying to find himself and ground himself back in the world.”
