Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Joins Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is joining the cast of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, TVGuide.com has confirmed.

Mastrantonio's casting solves the mystery of who would appear on the new season after four lead actors — Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Julianne Nicholson and Eric Bogosian — all announced they would not return.

Mastrantonio, 50, will play the working-class captain of the show's Major Case Squad, replacing Bogosian.

Report: D'Onofrio, Erbe and Bogosian leaving Criminal Intent

Additionally, Season 9 will feature only one set of detective partners — played by Jeff Goldblum, who joined the series in Season 8, and new cast member Saffron Burrows — instead of the series' traditional two. In the absence of series vets D'Onofrio and Erbe, Goldblum's character will become the lead detective in the squad. Burrows replaces Nicholson.

Report: Saffron Burrows will replace Julianne Nicholson on Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Mastrantonio, best known for her roles in the 1980s feature films Scarface, The Color of Money and The Abyss, more recently played a fishing boat captain in The Perfect Storm and recurred on CBS' Without a Trace.

USA has not announced a premiere date for Season 9, but a spring 2010 launch is likely, according to a network rep.