We've known for a few months now that The Big Bang Theory was planning a spinoff centered around young Sheldon and his family while he grew up in East Texas. Plans for the show have steadily been chugging along, and now it looks like we might finally know who's going to play the boy genius and his mother, Mary. Word has just dropped that Iain Armitage will play young Sheldon, while Zoe Perry will take on the role of Mary.
The report from Deadline says that Iain Armitage has been cast as a 10-year-old Sheldon in the, still untitled, pilot that will center around the Cooper family as they deal with Sheldon's super intelligence and compulsive ways. According to a previous story we'd written on the casting process, the producers, who include original Sheldon actor Jim Parsons, were looking for a kid who could portray Sheldon's confidence and socially awkward tendencies, along with his arrogance, short-tempered nature and "fiercely ritualistic" ways, so it's a good bet that they've found a young actor with some seriously well-rounded talents.
Iain Armitage can currently be seen on HBO's Big Little Lies with Shailene Woodley and Nicole Kidman, but he first gained attention a few years ago when he began posting his reviews of Broadway shows on YouTube at the age of only 6-years-old. This led to appearances at the 2015 and 2016 Tony Awards red carpet pre-show and the Steve Harvey hosted Little Big Shots. Armitage currently only has five acting credits, but he certainly seems like the kind of go-getter that would be able to embody a young Sheldon. His other acting credits include Law & Order: SVU and the upcoming The Glass Castle with Brie Larson.
Now, for Sheldon's mom, Mary Cooper, the show has found an actress who is sure to remind fans of The Big Bang Theory of Laurie Metcalf, who plays the extremely devout Evangelical Christian on the flagship series. And, that's because Zoe Perry is actually Metcalf's real-life daughter. It turns out that playing younger versions of her mom's characters is something that Perry knows well; she got her first screen credits playing a young Jackie in flashbacks on Roseanne in the early 1990s. Perry went on to rack up several credits, mostly on TV, in shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Cold Case, Private Practice, My Boys, The Family and NCIS.
Well, it's good to hear that this young Sheldon show is moving ahead, and they certainly seem to have gotten a good start on casting with Iain Armitage and Zoe Perry on board. We'll keep you up to date on The Big Bang Theory prequel as details become available, but, in the meantime, you can check out our midseason TV premiere schedule to see what you can watch on the small screen in the coming weeks.
