NCIS: Origins star Austin Stowell recently shared a new promotional photo from the highly anticipated prequel series. While the show is still months away from release, the image will ramp up excitement among fans.
Shared via Stowell’s official Instagram account, the image gives viewers a look at the actor as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The role was originally played by Mark Harmon across 19 seasons of the flagship show. Set in the 1990s, the new series focuses on Gibbs’ 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.”
A previous promotional video, shared by the official ncisverse Instagram account in mid-July, documented Stowell’s transformation into the character. The clip sees the actor getting a haircut and having his beard shaved, before putting on Gibbs’ signature style clothing, which includes a black jacket and modest shirt with a white t-shirt underneath.
Stowell previously shared his thoughts about playing the beloved character and how his version will be different from what fans are used to. “This is Gibbs dealing with the loss of his wife and child. This is not the Gibbs that the world knows as the team leader who’s always put together,” he said. “This is someone who is broken, who is trying to find his identity.”
Harmon Will Narrate NCIS: Origins
Although Stowell is taking over the role, Gibbs is still linked to Harmon. The veteran actor will serve as narrator when NCIS: Origins hits screens and will work as an executive producer, alongside his son, Sean, who played a younger Gibbs during flashbacks in the original show. Harmon is also excited about his character getting an origin story, previously saying that he always felt it “was a tale worth telling.”
Harmon also addressed his decision to step away from the role, stating that he believed it was the “right timing to push away a little bit.” The actor elaborated, saying “I was thrilled with the storyline they came up with and how they handled the character. And the show continued on… I have been asked [about a return] a lot. I‘ve always let the writers do what they want to do. It‘s really about feeling like you‘re fulfilled with a role, or complete with a role.”
