Will Petersen steps down from CSI

Actor WILLIAM PETERSEN has confirmed he’ll be stepping down as a CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION regular 10 episodes into the new season.

A star of the show since it began in 2000, Petersen helped develop the forensics drama and has been a producer and an executive producer of the award-winning series.

Petersen won’t disappear from the show for good - like his former onscreen love interest, Jorja Fox, the actor, who plays Gil Grissom on the show, will return for guest spots.
He tells Entertainment Weekly magazine he couldn’t just quit the show: "I want it (my departure) to work for the cast, and, most importantly, I want it to work for the audience."

UPDATE: Hollywood stars LAURENCE FISHBURNE and JOHN MALKOVICH have been considered as replacements for WILLIAM PETERSEN in hit U.S. TV show CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION.  Petersen - one of the show's original cast members - is set to leave his post
as crime investigator Gil Grisson midway through the current season, it was announced on Tuesday (15Jul08).

According to U.S. reports, Fishburne and Malkovich are both in competition to take on the role.  A spokesperson for the show tells the New York Post, "It's not the end of the show.

There's a lot of good stuff coming up. We're looking for a high-profile person to come in (to replace Petersen) as a CSI." (JMA/PYN/LJ)