Gary Sinise May Take 'New York' Lead

The leading candidate to head the cast of CSI: New York is a respected film actor with a prominent background in the theatre.

William Petersen (Gil Grissom) isn't packing up his DNA kit and heading to the East Coast, but his friend from the 1980s Chicago theatre scene, Gary Sinise, could soon be dusting for fingerprints in the Big Apple. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sinise has been in "on-again, off-again" discussions with the CBS network to star in the second CSI spin-off.

The trade paper reported talks had stalled earlier last week, but gained momentum on Thursday and Friday. Variety was more circumspect, simply stating that the network "remains in early discussions" with Sinise. The actor's representatives declined to comment on the talks.

CSI: New York will focus on two principal characters, in contrast with the previous CSI series, which have had fairly large ensembles. The series will debut in the second-to-last episode of CSI: Miami's second season, just as the Florida spin-off was introduced to viewers in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's "Cross-Jurisdictions". The Big Apple series is likely to be filmed primarily in Los Angeles with trips to the East Coast for location shoots, but that is not yet set in stone since New York public officials are lobbying for the show to be filmed there (story).

Just like William Petersen, Gary Sinise is primarily known for his work on the big screen, with his portrayal of Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump earning him Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Although he has never had a regular role on a TV series, Sinise has made his mark in mini-series and telefilms, winning Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards for George Wallace and a Golden Globe for Truman. His other film credits include Apollo 13, Ransom, The Green Mile, Snake Eyes and Of Mice and Men.

The original news can be found here at the Hollywood Reporter. CSI: New York will debut this fall on CBS. Thanks to Ziggy Spence.

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