Mark Harmon’s First New Gig Since Leaving ‘NCIS’ Is A Freaky Blast From The Past

NCIS fans were downcast when Special Agent Gibbs turned in his badge, cap, and head slaps in favor of the quiet life in Alaska. But viewers will have something both new and familiar to look forward to soon. Mark Harmon has left the Navy Yard, but he will be spending this newfound free time in a very familiar, very nostalgic role, as he has been cast in Freaky Friday 2.

Harmon had been the face of Special Agent Gibbs—not as very special as Michael Weatherly’s DiNozzo—since 2003, when the character was first introduced in JAG. He parted ways with the show in 2021. But right around the same time, he also became known simply as Ryan in 2003’s Freaky Friday, whose sequel will be Harmon’s first acting gig since leaving NCIS.

In his first big acting gig since leaving NCIS, Mark Harmon will reprise his role for Freaky Friday 2 / (c) Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
In the 2003 film, Harmon co-starred in the third adaptation of the same story alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, whose character he is engaged, and Lindsay Lohan. The story tells of the troubled relationship between a mother and daughter that gets turned on its head when they get turned into each other—or more specifically, they swap bodies.

With a budget of $26 million, Freaky Friday was an immediate financial success, grossing over $160 million worldwide. It was also a box office success and saw Curtis earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Playing out the dysfunctional chaos of the film family, many of the castmates found themselves becoming a found family themselves.

Freaky filming fun once again

He voiced his hopes for the project last year / ©Buena Vista Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Back in May 2023, Disney formally announced that a sequel, Freaky Friday 2, was in development. Additionally, it will feature much of the original cast reprising their old roles. That includes Harmon as Ryan, Curtis as Tess Coleman, Lohan as Anna Coleman, as well as returning veterans Chad Michael Murray, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Christina Vidal, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rosalind Cho reprising their roles.

Fans excited to see this story continue can take heart knowing that principal photography began on June 24, 2024.

He voiced his hopes for the project last year / ©Buena Vista Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Back in May 2023, Disney formally announced that a sequel, Freaky Friday 2, was in development. Additionally, it will feature much of the original cast reprising their old roles. That includes Harmon as Ryan, Curtis as Tess Coleman, Lohan as Anna Coleman, as well as returning veterans Chad Michael Murray, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Christina Vidal, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rosalind Cho reprising their roles.

Fans excited to see this story continue can take heart knowing that principal photography began on June 24, 2024.

Tess Coleman and Ryan / (c) Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
This is a project that the NCIS alum has been looking forward to for some time. Back in November 2023, Harmon shared his hopes of returning for the sequel while speaking on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“If [Jamie]’s talking about it, then it’ll happen because all things happen,” he said.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the sequel takes place several years after the first film and follows the mother-daughter duo once again. Anna is welcoming a stepdaughter into her family, which already has another daughter. It’s further teased that Tess and Anna “discover that lightning might indeed strike twice.”

Mark Harmon is returning to the screen, albeit for a very different genre in Freaky Friday 2
Mark Harmon is returning to the screen, albeit for a very different genre in Freaky Friday 2 / YouTube screenshot