FISHBURNE

After a month of rumor and speculation, Laurence Fishburne has officially signed on to join the cast of CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

While not technically replacing exiting series star and executive producer William Petersen, Fishburne will make his debut on CSI in the season’s ninth episode, an addition tied to Petersen’s pending exit.

Fishburne’s character is a former pathologist, now lecturing at colleges in criminalistics. As was previously reported, the character is an expert on criminal behavior, driven by the fact that he has several key genetic markers that show he has a tendency toward acts of violence himself.

Fishburne was one of several names who popped up in early buzz about Petersen’s possible replacements. Other respected actors mentioned at the time included John Malkovich and Kurt Russell.

A Tony winner for August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and an Oscar nominee for What’s Love Got to Do with It, Fishburne’s most recognizable small-screen credit was his turn as Cowboy Curtis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

–– Zap2it.com