Iain Armitage to Play 'Young Sheldon Cooper' on CBS's BIG BANG THEORY Spinoff

Variety reports that everyone's favorite Broadway critic, Iain Armitage, will portray the childhood version of Sheldon Cooper in CBS's upcoming BIG BANG THEORY spin off series titled SHELDON. The show will follow Sheldon as a youth growing up in Texas.

At a recent Deutsche Bank Media & Telecom Conference investor gathering, CBS CEO Les Moonves described Little Sheldon as, "Picture him as a 10 year old boy growing up in Texas with a very right-wing family, not used to this 10-year old genius living in their midst. It's a terrific script and we have a terrific little kid." (Deadline)

Jim Parsons, who serves as executive producer of the new series, originated the role as the idiosyncratic and neurotic genius in the long-running CBS comedy. According to the site, Zoe Perry is in discussions to take on the role of Sheldon's mother, Mary Cooper. On "The Big Bang Theory," that character was played by Perry's real-life mother, Laurie Metcalf, who appeared in 11 episodes of the show and went on to receive an Emmy nomination for her guest appearance.

Both CBS and Warner Bros. Television have declined to comment on the casting news. The show is expected to receive a 13-episode first season order.

Eight-year-old Iain can currently be seen in HBO's "Big Little Lies," playing Shailene Woodley's on-screen son. He recently made TV appearances on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and the Steve Harvey-hosted kids competition show "Little Big Shots." Of course theater fans know him best for his adorable reviews of Broadway shows. Below, check out his 2015 review of HAMILTON:

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