Posted in: ABC, Current News, TV | Tagged: The Rookie

The Rookie: Nathan Fillion's 10-Year Plan; New Cast Images Released

The Rookie star Nathan Fillion shares his bold vision for the show's future (think Season 18) and we have new cast images to pass along.

As we inch ever so closer to the Season 8 return of ABC and showrunner Alexi Hawley's The Rookie on January 6th, we're going to be getting more and more cool looks and insider perspectives on what viewers can expect. For example, Nathan Fillion shared that he has some very high hopes for the franchise, even after he's found "a place on a beach, someplace tropical, where birds are always singing and I can hear the ocean." Filion added, "I don't know if I'm going to live there full time, but I would like to have the option to go there all the time." As for his hit ABC series, Fillion could see staying with The Rookie through Season 18 (!!!) and then "dabbling in the four to seven 'Rookie' spin-off series that are still going and very, very popular."

"In 10 years, I would like to be just wrapping up 'The Rookie,' maybe handing it off to someone else," Fillion shared during an interview with PEOPLE. "And then spend a soft retirement visiting 'The Rookie' and dabbling in the four to seven 'Rookie' spin-off series that are still going and very, very popular. In the meantime, when I'm not working on those, I would like to be in my beach house." Now, here's a look at the new group portrait image and individual cast portraits that were released:

The Rookie/SDCC: Fillion & Hawley Preview Season 8 & More

"I have friends who are good actors in their own right. They're calling me saying, 'Hey, man, my daughter just turned 11, and she and her friends are all crazy about 'The Rookie.' Can I please have a birthday with you?' I love that," Fillion shared about the show's success with multigenerational viewing audiences during his San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2025 panel earlier this summer

"I think that ultimately television, specifically television with lots of episodes with characters that you can really invest in, has become comfort food for people," added Hawley. "There's 1,000 shows on the air, but it does feel like people sort of grab lots of shows that they look forward to watching. They're an escape. I take that very seriously. It doesn't mean that bad things don't happen on our show, that there aren't stakes, that we don't go dark sometimes. People really look to us as an important storm."

After a sizzle reel was screened, spotlighting the trip to Prague in the Season 8 opener, as well as a number of new and returning cast members. "In the first episode, we go to Prague and [John] becomes James Bond in the episode. We have a lot of exciting stories for [the cast] this season," Fillion teased. Here's a look at the official image gallery that was released from this weekend's SDCC panel:

Here's a look at some highlights from the panel, including that moment Fillion got everyone in attendance for a huge group video for O'Neil and much more:

And here's a look at some highlights from Fillion and Hawley's time in the Variety Studio, including what the chances are of there being a new rookie during the eighth season and more:

ABC's The Rookie Season 7 starred Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez. Deric Augustine (Godfather of Harlem) and television-debuting Patrick Keleher were set as the newest rookies for the season. Augustine's Miles is one of the newest rookies at the LAPD. As a Texas transfer, Miles is a 'rookie' despite being a two-year veteran of the force. Keleher's rookie Seth seems like the ideal police officer, but the job requires quick, decisive action — something that doesn't come naturally to Seth. In addition, Ivan Hernandez (Max's And Just Like That…) had joined the cast as Detective Graham and appeared in several episodes.

Alexi Hawley is the series creator, writer, and executive producer. Mark Gordon, Nathan Fillion, Michelle Chapman, Jon Steinberg, Bill Norcross, Bill Roe, and Brynn Malone are executive producers of the series. Entertainment One (eOne) is the lead studio on The Rookie, a co-production with ABC Signature.

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