Is Nathan Fillion Leaving The Rookie? Showrunner Confirms if He’s Staying or Going After Booking Major Superhero Role
The Rookie’s Nathan Fillion will be in a superhero film – again. The actor has been cast in James Gunn’s much-anticipated DC Studios film Superman Legacy. But what does this mean for his future involvement in police drama? Is Nathan Fillion leaving The Rookie? Here’s what we know.
Superman Legacy will mark the re-launch of the DC Universe led by James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC films (who is also a filmmaker who directed Marvel’s successful Guardians of the Galaxy films and DC’s Suicide Squad).
Vanity Fair reported on July 11, 2023, that Superman Legacy added three new actors to its main cast – each of them playing a DC superhero. Fillion will play a Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Isabela Merced will portray Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi will be Mister Terrific. Already slated to star in the forthcoming superhero film is David Corenswet as Superman (Clark Kent) and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The film is slated to start shooting in January 2024.
Fillion is no stranger to the superhero world. He’s portrayed multiple characters in the DC and Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently as Master Karja in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and The Detachable Kid in The Suicide Squad, also directed by Gunn. He’s also acted in the comedy superhero movie Super and voiced characters in the animated superhero films The Death of Superman, Justice League: Throne of Atlantic, Justice League: Doom, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Wonder Woman and more.
The actor re-posted Gunn’s Instagram post promoting his role in the new project. “Hooray! Welcome to the Superman: Legacy cast, @isabelamerced as Hawkgirl, @iamedigathegi as Mister Terrific, and my old pal @nathanfillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner!” Gunn captioned the post, which included a screenshot of the Vanity Fair article.
So, how will Fillion’s latest project impact his work on ABC’s beloved police drama? To provide clarity to fans, The Rookie’s showrunner is weighing in. See what he said, below.
Is Nathan Fillion leaving The Rookie?
Is Nathan Fillion leaving The Rookie? As of July 2023, it seems like the Fillion will remain on the procedural for the upcoming sixth season. The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley responded to the TVLine’s article on Twitter, which posed the question: “Could Nathan Fillion’s #SupermanLegacy Movie Role as Green Lantern Further Delay #TheRookie Season 6?”
The showrunner’s response? Simply “Nope!”
It’s also worth noting that Fillion likely signed a standard six-year contract with The Rookie. If that’s the case, it would be difficult for him to opt out of the next season even if he wanted to. In terms of his involvement beyond Season 6, it’ll be dependent on if he decides to renew his contract. We previously reported that the actor makes about $100,000 per episode on The Rookie, which pays Fillion between $1.4 million to $2.2 million each season, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Fillion has starred on The Rookie since Season 1 in 2018. He plays the lead role of John Nolan, the oldest rookie, also known as Police Officer III, at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mid-Wilshire Division. He’s also an executive producer on the series. Fillion told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 why he was attracted to playing Nolan, a newly divorced man in his 40s who, after inadvertently helping the police stop a bank robbery, moves from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a police officer.
“It was the pitch. You want a character you feel you can serve — you can serve the character, serve the story,” he explained. “Being in the business as long as I have, I’ve broadened my scope. And the core idea of the show, it has to be something strong enough to carry it a number of years.” Fillion also expanded on what it’s like being a producer on the drama. “Being a producer on a program you’re acting in simply means you have more of a voice. It’s permission to solve problems based on the experience you bring along with you. I’ve been doing this for 25 years. I don’t think you can do anything for 25 years and not get sort of smart about it.”
As of now, The Rookie’s John Nolan is here to stay. If we receive any updates about Fillion’s character on The Rookie, you’ll be the first to find out.
