Nathan Fillion is returning to ABC.
The Castle grad is set to star in The Rookie, a straight-to-series drama that reunites him with his former showrunner Alexi Hawley.
Inspired by a true story, the project centers on John Nolan (Fillion), the oldest rookie in the LAPD. At an age where most are at the peak of their career, Nolan cast aside his comfortable, small-town life and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of being a cop. Now, surrounded by rookies 20 years his junior, he must navigate the dangerous, humorous and unpredictable world of a “young” cop, determined to make his second shot at life count.
Hawley will pen the script and executive produce the ABC Studios and Mark Gordon Co. drama. Fillion will exec produce alongside Gordon, Nicholas Pepper, Michelle Chapman and Jon Steinberg. An episode count has not yet been determined.
The Rookie brings Fillion back to ABC following his eight-season run on Castle. The procedural was shockingly axed in May 2016 after ABC Studios had renegotiated deals with the cast — including Fillion — to return and after going so far as to dismiss co-star Stana Katic in a cost-cutting move.
The Rookie hails from the Mark Gordon Co., which produces ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, Quantico and Designated Survivor, the latter of which was packaged with star Kiefer Sutherland and also landed at the Disney-owned network as a straight-to-series order.
Hawley, the brother of Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley, started his career on Castle and returned for the final season. His credits include NBC’s State of Affairs.
Hawley, Fillion and the Mark Gordon Co. are all with CAA.
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