"CSI" alum George Eads will return to CBS for "MacGyver," the pilot that reimagines the 1980s action-adventure series.

He won't play the role originated by Richard Dean Anderson, however. Instead, Deadline reports he's been cast as Lincoln, described as a man "who could easily be written off as an eccentric conspiracy theorist," but he's actually a government employee with "a great capability for compassion."

The news of Eads' arrival is accompanied by word of the departure of James Wan as the pilot's director. Although he's been helping to shepherd the project as an executive producer, a scheduling conflict with "The Conjuring 2" means he won't be able to direct. David Von Ancken ("Salem") will step behind the camera in his place.

The reboot follows a twentysomething MacGyver as he's recruited into a clandestine organization, where he uses his knack for solving problems in an unconventional manners to help prevent disasters from happening. The title role hasn't been cast yet.