A new NCIS spin-off has received a straight-to-series order from CBS.
Titled NCIS: Hawai’i to reflect the islands spelling in the Haiiwan language, the new series will see Vanessa Lachey taking the lead as Jane Tennant.
Lachey most recently appeared on the FOX comedy Call Me Kat and the Beverly Hills 90210 reboot BH90210. In a statement on Instagram, the actress reacted to the news:
Honored is an understatement! To join the NCIS franchise as the first female lead and to do it on the Beautiful Islands of Hawai’i… I still can’t believe it! Thank You CBS for believing in me! Now let’s get to work!
Vanessa Lachey
This project is the fourth instalment in the NCIS franchise, and the first to feature a female Special Agent as the primary character. Larry Teng, who worked on five episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles, will direct the pilot. He recently signed a three-year deal with CBS, exclusively developing new projects for the studio. In light of the NCIS: New Orleans cancellation, showrunner Christopher Silber will move over to NCIS: Hawai’i in the same capacity.
Variety revealed that Tennant will be the type of character who is as “diplomatic as she is hard-charging”, and is someone that overcame many hurdles when succeeding in a male-dominated industry. Tennant is reportedly juggling her career and family, a new perspective in the world of Navy investigations.
Yasmine Al-Bustami (SWAT, The Originals) and Jason Antoon (Claws, Famous in Love) have also been announced as joining the cast, and will be a junior agent and Cyber Specialist, respectively. The Pearl Harbour team will operate on the Hawaiian Islands. Filming will occur on the production base on the islands built originally for Hawaii Five-O, as reported by Deadline.
CBS are yet to confirm a release date.
Words by Olivia Gacka
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