(Photo: Dave Allocca/CBS)

NCIS: Origins has found its Gibbs. Austin Stowell (A Friend of the Family) has been cast in the upcoming prequel series as the younger version of Mark Harmon’s character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, from the original NCIS series. Harmon will return to narrate the series.

CBS ordered the NCIS spin-off in January, which will arrive on the network during the 2024-2025 season.

More was revealed about Stowell’s casting in a press release.

CBS announced today that Austin Stowell has been cast as young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the new drama NCIS: ORIGINS, which has previously been ordered to series for the 2024-2025 broadcast season.

NCIS: ORIGINS, produced by CBS Studios, is the newest chapter in the NCIS franchise, exploring Gibbs’ early years. Narrated by Mark Harmon, the new series begins in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.

Austin Stowell’s television credits include “A Friend of the Family,” “The Hating Game” opposite Lucy Hale, and “Breathe.” He starred opposite George Clooney, Chris Abbott and Hugh Laurie in the limited series “Catch 22,” in Steven Spielberg’s anthology series “Amazing Stories,” and “Public Morals,” which was also executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Ed Burns.

Stowell’s feature film credits include “Battle of the Sexes” alongside Emma Stone, “Bridge of Spies” with Tom Hanks, “This Tempting Madness,” “12 Strong” opposite Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon, as well as the Academy Award-winning “Whiplash” with JK Simmons, which was nominated for Best Picture and won the Audience and Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2014. Additional credits include “Fantasy Island,” the indie award-winning drama “Swallow” and “Colossal” with Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis.

NCIS: ORIGINS is produced by CBS Studios. Mark Harmon, Sean Harmon, David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal will executive produce, with North and Monreal co-writing the premiere episode and serving as co-showrunners.

NCIS is the world’s most successful television franchise, and it is estimated that in the 2022-2023 TV season the franchise had over 300 million viewers around the world across all platforms including broadcast, cable, streaming and syndication (according to Nielsen and internal data). In spring 2024, NCIS will celebrate its thousandth episode across the franchise.

What do you think? Are you excited to see NCIS: Origins on CBS next season?