The NCIS prequel focusing on young Jethro Gibbs has found its female lead in Mariel Molino, Deadline reports. In NCIS: Origins, Molino will play Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a former Marine who navigates her 1990s male-dominated field with a "steely resolve and a dark sense of humor." She will encounter Gibbs (Austin Stowell) when the two are assigned to the same team, and from there sparks will fly — though what kind remains to be seen. Dominguez is a new character to the NCIS universe who has not been featured in the mothership series. In the NCIS timeline, the prequel takes place in the aftermath of the murder of Gibbs’ first wife and their daughter.
The prequel was ordered straight to series set for the 2024-2025 TV season. It will be narrated by Mark Harmon, who has portrayed the character in the original series for over a decade and will focus on young Gibbs as he starts his career. While at NCIS Camp Pendleton, Gibbs finds his place in a tough team of NCIS agents led by Agent Mike Franks. The idea for the spinoff came from Mark Harmon and his son Sean Harmon
NCIS: Origins is one of the two NCIS offshoots ordered to series, the other being a Tony and Ziva-focused spinoff whose title is yet to be revealed but will follow the couple in Europe as they try to keep their family safe when an attack is launched against Tony's company. Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly are set to reprise their roles as Ziva Davis and Tony DiNozzo respectively. Production is set to begin later this year and a premiere date will be announced later.
Who Is Mariel Molino?
Image via Freeform
Molino is a Mexican-American actress known for her work in Mexican and American media. She began her career in Spanish-language soap telenovelas like Papis Muy Padre. She was also seen in Prime Video's El Juego De Las Llaves. She appeared in Narcos: Mexico and Luis Miguel: The Series, both on Netflix. Recently, she starred in Freeform's The Watchful Eye and was part of an ensemble in ABC's Promised Land. Both shows were canceled after the first season.
There is currently no set release date for NCIS: Origins. Past seasons of NCIS are streaming now on Paramount+.
