THR is reporting that Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker (LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, GHOST DOG)is in talks to lead the cast of a planned spinoff of the CBS series CRIMINAL MINDS. The new series would feature a team that works outside of the FBI. The team will first appear in a spring episode of the regular series.
According to the piece, he will play “Cooper, the squad leader. Described as dynamic, mysterious, charming and a father figure to the rest of the team, he is a former star profiler in the Behavioral Unit who has been off the radar for the past eight years.”
A dynamite choice. Forest is a hell of an actor. His performances films like BIRDY and SMOKE made me a fan way back. In addition to the Oscar, he has also won the Emmy, Golden Globe and numerous other awards. He recently completed filming on THE EXPERIMENT, a film based the German film Das Experiment (DE was based on the Stanford Prison Experiment).
Forrest's acting ability will play out well on TV.