NCIS: Origins gets a surprise celebrity visit, and it screams a crossover we never considered

NCIS: Origins had a huge surprise with a movie actor showing up on set, making us wonder if a crossover could happen.
NCIS: Origins – Pictured (L-R): Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolf. Photo: Warrick Page/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
NCIS: Origins – Pictured (L-R): Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolf. Photo: Warrick Page/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The NCIS: Origins crew just got a surprise visit from one of the world’s biggest movie stars, and it gives us an idea for a crossover we never knew we wanted!.

As a long-running mainstay of CBS, NCIS has its share of famous fans. Some have even appeared on the show, like Jamie Lee Curtis in a recurring role. It’s commonplace for some actors to appear on a network show just because they’re fans or friends of a cast member. 

NCIS: Origins hasn’t gotten quite the same level of success yet, the prequel show is establishing itself well. It just had its second season premiere, which answered the fate of Lala (Mariel Molino) and set up some plotlines.

However, NCIS: Origins is now getting some significant attention as social media exploded with pictures of none other than Tom Cruise on the set! That’s had fans already speculating if somehow Cruise is making an appearance on the series!

Why was Tom Cruise on the NCIS: Origins set?

First broken by Deadline, the news began spreading as the cast and crew of NCIS: Origins shared photos of the mega-Hollywood star on set. The explanation so far is that Cruise was on the Paramount studio lot (likely to discuss his next film) and simply dropped by the set.

Head writer David J. North was the first to share photos and the fun revelation that Daly’s, the bar the NCIS crew frequent, was based on the bar from Cruise’s smash hit Top Gun. 

Other cast members chimed in with Austin Stowell sharing a pic of him and Cruise and the intriguing tag line “Gibbs & Hunt NCIS: Mission Impossible.”

On top of all else, Cruise was able to get a FaceTime call with Emilio Estevez (who co-starred in the first Mission: Impossible movie) to join in on the fun. 

Seeing Cruise on a TV set is a surreal sight. While the man has been one of the biggest movie stars in the world for 40 years, he has almost no television show credits, not even in his early career. Thus, a full-scale guest star appearance may not be in the cards.

Of course, it’s fun to imagine Cruise making some sort of cameo, perhaps as a mysterious agent involved in a case. The show can have fun imagining that this is Ethan Hunt on a secret mission and play on Cruise’s various beloved movies. It would likely be an insane boost to the ratings and gain a lot more attention. 

For now, it simply appears Cruise was dropping by the set in a surprise visit, but having him connected to NCIS at all is a wild crossover event no one expected.

NCIS: Origins airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.

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