Chicago Fire is going through a cast change after past exits in the franchise.
Da’Vinchi joined the hit NBC series as Marcus Burke, according to Deadline. The 30-year-old actor, who previously starred on All American and BMF, will portray a new firefighter candidate who is described as “roguish and funny with a wry sense of humor, and also a little defiant.”
The new addition to season 15 comes after some shakeups. In January, news broke that Dermot Mulroney would be written off the show — for now — through a story line that required him to be off screen.
Mulroney, 62, appeared on the show as Dom Pascal until Rob Morgan took over his position at Firehouse 51. The actor returned in the May finale after his future in the franchise seemed unclear.
Off screen, showrunner Andrea Newman exited the show after more than a decade.
Newman, who worked on Chicago Fire for its entire 14-season run, confirmed her departure in April, with co-executive producer Victor Teran taking over the role. Newman joined Chicago Fire after the pilot as co-executive producer before being promoted to executive producer. She was then named co-showrunner before becoming the sole showrunner in 2023.
“Working at Chicago Fire, with the absolute best cast and crew in the business, has been the highlight of my career,” Newman said in a statement. “Like so many others, I was inspired to get into TV writing because of Dick [Wolf], so what a thrill it’s been to work with him and the amazing Wolf team of Peter Jankowski, Rebecca McGill and Anastasia Puglisi. I’m so grateful to them, Derek Haas and the NBC and Universal execs who have been so supportive of the show all along the way. After 14 years, you really do become a family and working with this group will always feel like home.”
Jankowski, meanwhile, released a separate statement, which read, “We’re sad to say goodbye to Andrea. She’s been at the center of the heart and soul of Chicago Fire since the beginning, and the show thrived under her watch. We’re grateful for her commitment to the development of the next generation and know the show will be in great hands with Victor taking the reins.”
The One Chicago universe is no stranger to cast shakeups. NBC’s president of program planning Jeff Bader previously addressed the way Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. have often lost fan-favorite characters.
“Cast comes in, cast goes out,” Bader told TVLine in July 2024. “It’s interesting, because every year there are cast changes, and every year someone asks the same question about what’s going on within the One Chicago universe. But [those shows] just keep going on.”
Bader noted that each of the Chicago shows have continued to find success, adding, “We’re thrilled with how the Chicagos do on Wednesday. We have no plans on changing anything on that night.”
Chicago Fire returns to NBC in the fall.
