A major The Rookie star is going to be in HBO’s Lanterns, so what does that mean for the ABC hit?
The Rookie has become one of ABC’s biggest hits and a lot of that rests on its leading man. Nathan Fillion had been bouncing around television for years in minor roles and short-lived series. He rose to fame playing Mal Reynolds in the 2002 Fox series Firefly. While the show lasted only 13 episodes, it attained a massive cult following.
After a stint on Desperate Housewives, Fillion got a huge hit with the ABC mystery series Castle, which ran eight seasons. He then returned on The Rookie as John Nolan, the former architect who joins the LAPD as a 40-something rookie cop.
The show has been a major success with a short-lived spinoff and Fillion balancing other TV and movie roles. However, a significant challenge is coming as Fillion will be appearing in a regular role on HBO’s upcoming Lanterns series.
What is HBO's Lanterns?
The show is based on the long-running DC Comic Green Lantern. The Green Lantern Corps is basically an intergalactic police force composed of thousands of aliens. They’re armed with power rings that allow them to fly and create anything they can imagine with green energy.
The show will focus on Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), a veteran Lantern taking recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) under his wing as they track an alien threat on Earth.
Fillion will play Guy Gardner, a brash and arrogant Lantern who is set to debut in James Gunn’s Superman movie, coming out this July. The casting of Fillion as Guy is ironic, as the actor was always a fan choice to play Hal. In fact, Fillion would voice Hal in numerous DC animated films.
The show will likely touch on Hal and Guy’s friendly rivalry as the egotistical Guy loves to push Hal’s buttons. While it’s great to see Fillion on another show, it leads to the question of how this will affect The Rookie.
Could Lanterns prevent The Rookie Season 8?
As of now, The Rookie hasn’t been officially renewed for Season 8, but it seems like a good bet for another year. There’s concern that if Fillion joins a big HBO series utilizing special effects, it could keep him from filming The Rookie’s next season.
One possibility might be Nolan written out for a time so Fillion can film Lanterns. The Rookie has moved away from only Nolan to an ensemble cast, so it might be all right to have Nolan away on some sort of assignment or vacation and focus on the other characters (Nolan doesn’t quite fit being a “rookie” anymore).
There’s also the chance ABC once more puts the show off until the winter of 2026. Season 7 has seen success by being held back until January 2025 and then airing the whole season without any breaks. ABC could decide to repeat that move, thus freeing Fillion up to film Lanterns and come back as Nolan for the next year.
It’s up in the air right now, but it will be fun for Rookie fans to see Fillion playing a different type of cop and adding a big comic book role to his long resume.
The Rookie airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC. Lanterns debuts on HBO in 2026.