CBS introduced the pilot episode of "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" last month, but it seems that one of the major characters in the new "Criminal Minds" spin-off will not return for a full season after the highly successful premiere episode.
Early this week, CBS president Nina Tassler shared how they are planning to air "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" even if "Breaking Bad" alum Anna Gunn chose not to return to the show. Gunn was supposed to portray the role of international law expert Lily Lambert, the partner of Gary Sinise's Jack Garett, to help endangered Americans who are located in different parts of the world. But when the network picked up the show, Gunn's name was dropped from the list of cast members.
"Gary [Sinise] is sort of larger than life and [as Jack Garrett] he filled a lot of the same [needs as Gunn's character]. But we're actually going to be adding a couple of new characters" that will reportedly "speak more to the needs of the franchise," the network president shared in a statement posted on TV Line.
This means that the network is planning to include more characters before the series begins airing midseason.
At the moment, only Sinise's character is set to lead the team of experts who will take on international BAU cases, and he will be helped by "The Walking Dead's" Tyler James Williams as International Unit tech expert Russ "Monty" Montgomery as well as "Big Hero 6's" Daniel Henney as Special Ops Agent Matthew Simmons.
Looking for new cast members will be quite a challenge for series executive producer Erica Messer, who will also have to look for new character replacements for the roles left my AJ Cook and Jennifer Love Hewitt in the 11th season of "Criminal Minds."
More casting news announcements are expected before the scheduled air date of "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" during TV season 2015-2016.
