Keitel negotiates for "Criminal Minds" role

Harvey Keitel (C) and his wife Daphna Kastner (L) talk to actor Sean Penn in New York December 18, 2006. Keitel is in talks to join the cast of the CBS drama ''Criminal Minds.''

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Harvey Keitel is in talks to join the cast of the CBS drama "Criminal Minds."

He would fill the void left by the show's star, Mandy Patinkin, who quit abruptly last month because of what he termed "creative differences."

Following Patinkin's exit, the show's producers launched an exhaustive search for a big-name actor to play a new central character. "Minds," revolving around the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, returns for a third season in the fall.

On the big screen, Keitel next reprises his role in the sequel "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter