Laurence Fishburne to Replace William Petersen on CSI

Laurence Fishburne has signed an agreement with CBS Television to star in the upcoming season of CSI, in which he will replace Gil Grissom (William Petersen).

CBS has not set a departure date for Petersen, however, documents conclude that Fishburne will be introduced into the program during the ninth episode.

Fishburne will come to the show as a college lecturer who formerly served as a pathologist. Fishburne focuses his efforts on examining one's motivation rather than method of committing a crime.

Producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar are enthusiastic as per the arrival of Fishburne to the hit series. In a statement, Shankar and Mendelsohn said, "Without hesitation, we said Laurence Fishburne. He is a powerful and intense actor, with an incredible range. If you distill CSI down to its essence, it's a collaboration-and we are so looking forward to collaborating with Mr. Fishburne. For all of us at CSI, this is truly a dream."

Fishburne has won 17 and has been nominated for 21 Oscars. He has been in several feature films including 21, Mission Impossible III, and The Matrix trilogy.

The new season of CSI airs on Thursday, October 9, 2008 on CBS; check with your local cable operator for channel listings and times.