‘The Big Bang Theory’ Spinoff ‘Young Sheldon’ Gets CBS Series Order, Rounds Out Cast; Jon Favreau Set To Direct
Merrick Morton
Young Sheldon is officially a go. CBS has closed a deal for a straight-to-series order to the single-camera spinoff from the network’s blockbuster multi-camera comedy The Big Bang Theory for the 2017-2018 season.
Jon Favreau has come on board to direct and executive produce the first episode of the series, created by Big Bang co-creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre & executive produce/showrunner Steven Molaro.
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The series, narrated by Jim Parsons as his Big Bang character, adult Sheldon, is a prequel to the mothership series described as being in the vein of Malcolm in the Middle. It follows The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) at the age of 9, living with his family in East Texas and going to high school.
Lance Barber will play Sheldon’s father, and Raegan Revord and Montana Jordan will play his siblings, joining previously cast Armitage and Zoe Perry, who plays Sheldon’s mom.
At an investor conference last week, CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves saidYoung Sheldon will likely air behind Big Bang next season. That, of course, is contingent on securing the pending two-season Big Bang renewal, which Moonves said was “on the two yard line.”
On Big Bang, there have been clues about Sheldon’s childhood in Galveston, TX, with his older brother George; fraternal twin sister Missy; their mother Mary Cooper, an overtly devout Evangelical Christian — played by Laurie Metcalf whose daughter Perry will portray her in the prequel — and father George Cooper, an alcoholic who was never around.
Parsons, who had the initial idea that led to Young Sheldon, Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, and Todd Spiewak will serve as executive producers of the series, from Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television.
