Jason George Is Leaving Grey's Anatomy & Joining the Still-Untitled Spinoff

He joins a cast that includes Rosewood alum Jaina Lee Ortiz.

By Billy Nilles Sep 12, 2017 4:47 PMTags

It looks like Dr. Ben Warren is going to be joining the Seattle Fire Department after all.

After hinting at the character's future in Grey's Anatomy's season 13 finale, when he joined in on the quest to rescue Stephanie from the explosion that rocked Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Jason George is officially leaving the mothership and joining the still-untitled Grey's spinoff, E! News has confirmed.

The series, set to debut at midseason, will focus on a heroic group of Seattle firefighters from the captain down the ranks in both their professional and personal lives. George joins Rosewood alum Jaina Lee Ortiz, who may or may not be the show's leading lady. (At the time, ABC and Shondaland would not confirm, though EP Paris Barclay did tweet "She's our star!")

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news. George shared the news with fans on Twitter, writing, "On, and, um...this is happening... The #greysanatomy universe is expanding."

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Details on how Ben will transition from the hospital to the firehouse are being kept under wraps—this is Shondaland, after all—but THR notes that it'll be a key part of his storyline when Grey's returns later this month. George will remain a series regular on the flagship until production on the spinoff begins, at which point he'll devote his time there. How the change will affect his marriage to Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) remains to be seen, but don't rule out the occasional appearance on Grey's once the spinoff is up and running.

George joined Grey's in a recurring capacity back in season six before being promoted to series regular in season 12.

The untitled spinoff has yet to land a premiere date, but look out for it in 2018.

Are you surprised that Ben is leaving the hospital and joining the firehouse? Worried about his marriage in light of the news? Sound off in the comments below!

Grey's Anatomy returns for season 14 on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m.