James Bond is coming to NCIS… sort of. The upcoming Season 22 of the fan-favorite CBS drama series will introduce a character that showrunner Steven D. Binder has described as 007, but old.
Speaking with TVLine, Binder shared that the show would be seeking out an older actor for a guest star role in “a fun episode about what happens when a guy like Jason Bourne or James Bond — one of these really serious, high-end people who are involved in espionage — ends up in a retirement home, suffering from the things that all of our parents and grandparents suffer.” The showrunner continued, “What do you do when you have those sort of skills, and that sort of knowledge, and you’re starting to lose your s–t?”
Created by Donald P. Bellisario, NCIS first premiered in 2003 via a backdoor pilot on the legal drama series JAG. The series, and wider franchise, follows special agents tasked with investigating military-related crimes. The main cast for NCIS Season 22, which is set to premiere on Oct. 14, includes Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, Katrina Law as Jessica Knight, Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines, Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance, and Gary Cole as Alden Parker.
Two New NCIS Spinoffs Are on the Way
Four NCIS spinoffs have so far been released — Los Angeles in 2009, New Orleans in 2014, Hawai’i in 2021 and Sydney in 2023. NCIS: New Orleans concluded in May 2021 after seven seasons, NCIS: L.A. in May 2023 after 14 seasons, and NCIS: Hawai’i in May 2024 after three seasons. NCIS: Sydney is currently in production on its second season, alongside two additional spinoffs that will debut during the 2024-25 television season.
The first, NCIS: Origins, focuses on Jethro Gibbs’ (played by Mark Harmon in NCIS) early 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 will portray Gibbs in Origins, while Harmon acts as narrator and executive producer on the prequel series. The second, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, reunites fan-favorite NCIS alums Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo for a European-based mission.
When Is the Next James Bond Movie Coming Out?
As for the aforementioned 00 spy, James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are still working on figuring out where to take the iconic franchise next following the conclusion of Daniel Craig’s five-film run in 2021. No actor has been cast yet to succeed Craig as the iconic 007, although Aaron Taylor-Johnson was previously linked to the role earlier this year. Taylor-Johnson neither confirmed nor denied the casting rumor back in March, opting instead to say that “whatever’s drawn out for me, I can f**ing do better.”
NCIS Season 22 premieres on CBS on Oct. 14.