Sam Waterston will return as District Attorney Jack McCoy in the upcoming Law & Order revival, Wolf Entertainment announced Thursday.
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"Very few casting announcements have ever given me this much pleasure," series creator Dick Wolf said. "Since day one, Sam has had perfect pitch when it comes to Jack McCoy as a character who both reflects and expands our ability to understand the law."
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He added: "He is the ultimate conscience of the show and I look forward to him emulating the career of New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who served until he was 90.
"With both Sam and Anthony (Anderson) returning, it shows that the 21st season is merely a continuation of where we left off."
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NBC confirmed in September that a new installment of the show - which was unexpectedly canceled after 20 years on TV in 2010 - would return to screens in 2022.
The new season will be the show's 21st, and it was thought at the time that the network was hoping to bring back original cast members including Sam.
Sam as Jakc McCoy
The show was the launchpad of one of the biggest procedural franchises on TV, and in 2010 was about to break Gunsmoke’s record as the longest running primetime drama ever when it was canceled as renewal negotiations collapsed.
The show never got a conclusive series finale.
Over 20 years it was nominated for more than 50 Emmy Awards and won in 1997 for Outstanding Drama Series.
The show ran for 20 years
NBC's Thursday lineup is currently made up on Law & Order spin-off Special Victims Unit - which has since broken that record with its 23rd season currently airing - and Organized Crime.
Dick Wolf has since gone on to create the FBI and One Chicago franchises.
Law & Order will air on 24 February 2022.
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