Laurence Fishburne will be joining the cast of the hit TV drama show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

The Matrix star will replace William Petersen and play a college professor who eventually joins the team of forensic scientists in Las Vegas.

Petersen, who plays Gil Grissom, will only make guest appearances on the programme, but will remain its executive producer.

Fishburne, 47, admitted he had never watched CSI before he was offered the part.

He said he watched past episodes and found them "kind of dark and moody, like the work I've been involved in".

Fellow CSI executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar said Fishburne topped their "dream list".

"He is a powerful and intense actor, with an incredible range," they said in a statement.

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