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Is Nathan Fillion leaving The Rookie season 6? Boss says ‘Nope!’

By Danilo Castro

THE ROOKIE - ÒThe Naked and The DeadÓ Ð The search for a missing boy leads the team into the middle of a dangerous drug war between two rival gangs on an all-new episode of ÒThe Rookie,Ó TUESDAY, JAN. 10 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Raymond Liu)NATHAN FILLION, LISSETH CHAVEZ
THE ROOKIE - ÒThe Naked and The DeadÓ Ð The search for a missing boy leads the team into the middle of a dangerous drug war between two rival gangs on an all-new episode of ÒThe Rookie,Ó TUESDAY, JAN. 10 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Raymond Liu)NATHAN FILLION, LISSETH CHAVEZ /
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The Rookie is a crowd-pleasing show with a crowd-pleasing star at its center: Nathan Fillion. He’s been a TV staple for nearly two decades, and his performance as unlikely rookie John Nolan has been so effective that the writers have been able to give his character another rookie to train.

Obviously, Fillion is a huge part of the show. He’s the biggest name, and therefore the biggest draw, but there’s been some concern that his schedule will force him to leave the show and turn the reins over to the aforementioned rookie, Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez). Is there any validity to these concerns?

Actor Nathan Fillion, Writer/director James Gunn and actor Rainn Wilson arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of “Super” at the Egyptian Theatre on March 21, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage)
Actor Nathan Fillion, Writer/director James Gunn and actor Rainn Wilson arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of “Super” at the Egyptian Theatre on March 21, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage) /

Well, given how involved Fillion has been with impending DC Universe, we get it. He’s close friends with the studio’s new CEO, James Gunn, and he’s been cast as Guy Gardener, aka Green Lantern, in the new iteration of the franchise. This means that Fillion will not only appear in the upcoming film Superman: Legacy (2025), but he will be playing Gardener in other films, TV shows, and games. It’s a full-time gig, as Gunn’s plan is to have actors play the same characters across all mediums.

There wouldn’t be an issue with regards to the schedules for The Rookie and Superman: Legacy, but the writers and actors strike has delayed production on the former, which means it won’t be released until 2024. Before the actors strike commenced, Fillion made it clear that he was excited to become a part of the DC Universe.

“James tends to put old actors he’s worked with before in his new movies, and that’s something I fully support”, he told Comicbook.com. “I would never say no to James Gunn. I can say that. Fillion is no stranger to the Green Lantern, either. He voiced the superhero in animated films like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015), and The Death of Superman (2018) among countless others.

It’s still unclear when the strike will be resolved, and when writers and actors are permitted to go back to work, but either way, the Rookie schedule is much closer to Superman: Legacy than was initially intended.

Fortunately, Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley has assured fans that Fillion isn’t going anywhere. During a recent exchange with TV Line, Hawley said that there won’t be any scheduling conflicts between the show and the film. When asked point blank whether Nolan would be missing from season 6, the showrunner answered with a succinct: “Nope!” All is well in the Rookie universe, which makes sense given that Fillion is the executive producer of the show as well as the star.

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