Jim Parsons, the actor behind the theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, has responded to calls from fans for Michael Keaton to play an older version of the character. Parsons, who played Sheldon for the show’s entire run and also works as an executive producer and narrator for the spin-off Young Sheldon, addressed the fan-casting on an episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Fallon showed a side-by-side image of young Michael Keaton and young actor Iain Armitage, who plays Sheldon in the show, to which Parsons agreed there was definitely a resemblance. Parsons went on to say that he would be “amazed” to have Keaton join the others who have played Sheldon, but he quickly shot down the idea of an older Sheldon spinoff with Keaton playing the character.
The final episode of Young Sheldon’s seven-season run will air on 16th May, and Parsons and his co-star Mayim Bialik will return to play the adult version of Sheldon and Amy Farrah Fowler in honour of the occasion. This marks the first time the two actors will perform together since the finale of The Big Bang Theory in 2019. In addition to Parsons’ roles as the adult Sheldon in both series, he also serves as an executive producer for Young Sheldon.
Executive producer Steve Holland explained that the series will end now that Sheldon is 14 and going off to Cal Tech, saying it “felt like the right time to end it strong while it was on top.” The Big Bang Theory, which first aired in 2007, concluded its 12-season run in 2019. The show starred Parsons alongside Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, and Simon Helberg and remains available to stream on services like Netflix.
Young Sheldon, which focuses on Sheldon’s life in rural Texas as a child, is available to stream on Netflix in the UK, but it is unclear whether the show will be available on the same platform in other markets. Nevertheless, Parsons’ appearance on The Tonight Show attracted enough attention to encourage fans with their imaginative idea of Keaton taking over as an older Sheldon. Although the suggestion was quickly dismissed by Parsons, fans of the show clearly haven’t lost their passion for a concept that has gone beyond the world of scripted content
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