Chicago PD season 13 will be welcoming a brand new member to the Intelligence Unit, and longtime cast member Marina Squerciati couldn’t be more excited for fans to meet her new costar!
With filming well underway on the new season of NBC’s hit procedural, the cast of Chicago PD is hard at work in Chicago filming season 13. This includes the show's new series regular, Arienne Mandi, who will make her Chicago PD debut this fall as the newest addition to the Intelligence Unit.
While fans might have to wait until Oct. 1 to officially meet Mandi’s character, Squerciati has given fans a first look at her new costar in action via Instagram. She also seemed to hint that Mandi’s character may have already undergone a major change since word of her casting was announced.
“ChiHards, welcome Officer Imani! She's awesome and fierce and wears cool shoes and we like her a lot,” Squerciati wrote in celebration of PD’s newest addition. The caption accompanied one of our first looks at Mandi in costume on the set, rocking a Chicago PD bulletproof vest on set alongside costars Benjamin Levy Aguilar and Patrick John Flueger.
Interestingly, Squerciati introduces Mandi as Officer Imani, which suggests that perhaps the writers have changed the character’s name since her casting was first announced. When word first broke that Mandi was joining the cast in season 13 as a new series regular, it was reported that her character was named Officer Naomi Kerr.
It’s not at all uncommon for character names to change between when an actor is cast and when filming begins. When breaking the news of her casting, Deadline noted that the character name and traits could change, and it seems that’s the case for the character name. What will be interesting is to see whether the writers have made any changes to the character’s backstory and traits.
Mandi’s character was announced as being a former soldier and military contractor who is skilled at handling intense and high-pressure situations. She was also described as being brave and unafraid of facing challenges, but prefers to live a more private life. We were intrigued and excited by the planned backstory from the moment we first read the description, so we’re hoping the character’s name is the only thing that’s changed.
Whatever the writers have in store for Officer Imani, we’re certainly eager to see how she’ll fit into the team and what she’ll bring to the table in Chicago PD season 13!
Chicago PD season 13 premieres Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 10/9c on NBC.