For die-hard fans of the NCIS franchise, it's impossible to imagine anyone other than Mark Harmon in the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And yet it was for this role that the name of a monument of American cinema was once put into circulation.
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With 20 seasons, 457 episodes and no fewer than four spin-offs, the latest of which, NCIS: Sydney, will be available on the Paramount+ platform in January, NCIS has been one of the most popular police series in the world since its release. Market launch in 2003. And one of the ingredients of the recipe for success is, above all, the casting that has become cult. Impossible to forget Michael Weatherly in the role of Anthony DiNozzo, Cote de Pablo in that of Ziva or even Pauley Perrette as Abby. And if the death of David McCallum (Ducky) in September 2023 upset fans, the exit of Mark Harmon from the series did not leave them indifferent, which left a huge void with the absence of Gibbs. But this popular character could have had a completely different face, even known.
NCIS: Harrison Ford as grumpy Chief Gibbs?
Yes, it's none other than George Lucas' favorite actor, aka Harrison Ford, who was once considered the head of the investigative team before the start of the series. Charles Floyd Johnson, one of the production staffers most notably responsible for the double pilot episode of NCIS, says: “It was a name that everyone came up with for Gibbs because he was so perfect for that type of role. But I don't think it continued; it was a name that was passed around.” Finally, after his 1993 appearance in “The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones,” Harrison Ford will not appear in a television series again until 2022, with the western “1923” and the sitcom ” Shrinking” the following year.
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Jennifer Aniston in the cast of NCIS? Nearly !
But Harrison Ford isn't the only one who almost became a star in the early seasons of this JAG spinoff series. In the early seasons, one of the team's leaders was none other than Caitlin “Kate” Todd, played by Sasha Alexander. But among the actresses who were up for the role, Charles Floyd Johnson said that the name of Jennifer Aniston was part of the discussions, who at the time was just finishing the final season of Friends.