'NCIS: Origins' Casts Young Gibbs' Mentor for Prequel Series

Young Gibbs finally has a mentor on the new prequel series NCIS: Origins. According to Deadline, Canadian actor Kyle Schmid has been cast as young Mike Franks. Originated by Muse Watson on the Mothership series, Franks was the leader of the NCIS Major Case Response Team and made his first appearance in Season 3. While he got stabbed in Season 8, he continued to show up for his mentee Gibbs when he needed help on a hard case.

On Origins, "Special Agent Mike Franks is a proud Texan who all but showers in his cowboy boots and sports a perfectly coiffed mustache that's as thick as his skin. As showcased on NCIS, Franks is a born leader with an unwavering moral compass who's determined to find justice by any means necessary." Considering the synopsis for Origins included Gibbs joining Franks' team, it was only just a matter of time before he was cast.

Schmid joins previously announced lead Austin Stowell, who will be stepping into the shoes of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, taking over for Mark and Sean Harmon. Also previously announced in a new role was Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez. More casting news is likely on the horizon, reportedly including Special Agent Vera Strickland and hopefully some other familiar characters such as Ducky.

Kyle Schmid is best known for his roles as Alex Caulder in History Channel's Six, Henry Durham in Syfy's Being Human, and Robert Morehouse in BBC America's Copper. Other credits include The Covenant, The I-Land, ABC's now-canceled Big Sky, Dead Before Dawn, Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead, the Disney Channel Original Movies Alley Cats Strike and The Cheetah Girls, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Smallville, CSI: Cyber, and The Rookie, among others.

As of now, a premiere date for NCIS: Origins has yet to be released, but it is expected to premiere sometime during the 2024-25 season. The NCIS franchise is keeping pretty busy as it hits 1,000 episodes next month. Paramount+ also recently ordered a Tony and Ziva spinoff with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo reprising their roles. CBS and Paramount+ Australia have also renewed NCIS: Sydney for a second season, and it wouldn't be surprising if the network also renewed NCIS and NCIS: Hawai'i.

Hopefully, more details on NCIS: Origins will be released soon, but with a cast starting to build, it's already getting exciting. In the meantime, all episodes of NCIS are streaming on Paramount+, with new ones airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.