Jesse Lee Soffer has found his new procedural home with another Dick Wolf hit: FBI: International.
Soffer, 40, will join the FBI: International cast as a series regular for season 4 in fall 2024, Us Weekly can confirm. Soffer previously played Detective Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D., which was created by Wolf in 2014.
While the One Chicago shows and the FBIs exist in the same universe, Soffer will not be reprising his role as Halstead on the CBS drama, Us has learned. Instead, he will play a new character, whose identity has not been announced.
Soffer will, however, be filling the vacancy in the Fly Team left by Luke Kleintank, who played Supervisory Special Agent Scott Forrester for three seasons. Kleintank, 34, announced in April 2024 that season 3 of International would be his last.
“After much thought and consideration, I’ve made the difficult decision to leave FBI: International. This decision is driven by my unwavering commitment to my family, whose love and well-being are paramount in my life,” the actor told Deadline at the time. “I’m profoundly thankful for the extraordinary cast and crew of the show, who have not only been colleagues but also a family away from home.” Kleintank proceeded to thank the fans “who have supported us through the first three seasons.”
Kleintank’s exit was the second shocking departure from the International cast during season 3. Heida Reed’s Jamie Kellett left the Fly Team during the season premiere when she revealed she was taking a gig in Washington, D.C.
Throughout the first two seasons, Jamie and Scott had an on-off romance, leading some fans to worry that Scott wasn’t long for the show. “I could not imagine Scott without Jamie 😢,” one fan wrote via the comments on Reed’s goodbye message in February.
Soffer, meanwhile, starred on Chicago P.D. for more than nine seasons, exiting the show in October 2022 part way through season 10. He returned in March 2023 to make his directorial debut for the episode titled “Deadlocked.”
While details about Soffer’s International character are still under wraps, the actor made it clear when he left P.D. that he was ready to take the helm and lead his own procedural.
“P.D. is an ensemble — Jason [Beghe]’s definitely the lead and the strong patriarch on that show,” Soffer told Variety in February 2023 of his former costar, who portrays Sergeant Hank Voight. “I definitely think I’m ready to be a lead on a show and to have my own show. I’d put all of my heart and soul into it.”
The actor added that he was “ready for more” after playing Halstead for nearly a decade. “I really wanted to grow and expand, and we’ve only got this one trip,” Soffer explained. “If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, ‘You know what? It’s time to take a risk.’”
FBI: International will return to CBS in fall 2024.
