Nathan Fillion’s 9-Season Crime Thriller Crossover Plans Officially Confirmed By Creator As Filming Starts

The Rookie and new spinoff The Rookie: North aren't airing until midseason next year, but creator Alexi Hawley has now revealed if there are plans for a crossover between the two police procedurals.

The Rookie has already had one spinoff make it to air. The Rookie: Feds starred Niecy Nash-Betts as a school counselor-turned-FBI special agent. ABC aired one season before it was canceled, with the Hollywood strikes partly to blame for the decision. Characters from The Rookie: Feds were introduced in a two-part backdoor pilot on The Rookie before the spinoff premiered.

As for whether something similar will happen for The Rookie: North, Hawley teased to Collider that a crossover is being discussed between the two series: "There might be one in the works, for sure."

The creator said that production recently began on The Rookie season 9, and filming will get underway for The Rookie: North in early August, so "we're already into scripts on everything...There are some thoughts being put to who might go north or come south or both."

Alexi Hawley: "There might be one in the works, for sure. We started shooting Season 9 on Tuesday, this last week. We start shooting North in a few weeks, early August, so we’re already into scripts on everything, obviously. There are some thoughts being put to who might go north or come south or both."

Hawley also revealed that, aside from a possible crossover, The Rookie season 9 premiere is a two-parter, with Shawn Ashmore, who plays Wesley Evers, saying during the same interview that he was "pleasantly surprised at how we come into the first episode. It was sort of unexpected."

While the actor didn't reveal any details about the storyline, he did describe the premiere as being emotional, poignant and sweet. "I really love just that first opening sequence of how we come into the season. I was like, 'Wow, that's a really smart, funny and touching way,'" he explained.

Jenna Dewan, who plays Bailey Nune, agreed with that description, adding that fans will "lose their minds."

Alexi Hawley: "I will tease that it's a two-parter, a two-part season premiere."

Shawn Ashmore: "Alexi and I were talking about this last night. I was pleasantly surprised at how we come into the first episode. It was sort of unexpected. Again, it's like what The Rookie does well. It's emotional, it's poignant, it's sweet, and it's unexpected. I really love just that first opening sequence of how we come into the season. I was like, “Wow, that's a really smart, funny, and touching way.”

Jenna Dewan: "I totally agree. And the fans are going to lose their minds. That's what I kept thinking."

The Rookie season 8 finale, which aired in May, ended with two major developments. First, Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford (aka Chenford) got engaged. But before they could spend much time celebrating the major relationship milestone, they were abducted by people working for Heath Everett.

The Rookie season 9 will deal with the aftermath of that shocking twist. As Ashmore teased, though, the premiere is unexpected, possibly indicating that the opening scene is unrelated to the kidnapping, though nothing's been confirmed yet, and the cast and creator are keeping a tight lid on what happens next.

Ashmore and Dewan's co-stars on The Rookie, which debuted in 2018, are Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O'Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Lisseth Chavez and Deric Augustine, with Nathan Fillion in the lead role as John Nolan, who was the oldest member of the police academy's graduating class when the series started.

The first spinoff, The Rookie Feds, had a similar storyline, and The Rookie: North, set in Washington State, will continue that premise, as police officer Alex Holland begins a brand-new chapter later in life.

Jay Ellis, Janet Montgomery, Karen Fukuhara, Chris Sullivan, Froy Gutierrez, Mya Lowe and Malik Watson are the stars of the new show, with Hawley, Fillion, Mark Gordon, Bill Norcross and Michelle Chapman on board as executive producers.

Along with The Rookie and The Rookie: North, other ABC shows premiering in midseason include American Idol, The Bachelor, High Potential, Will Trent, Shifting Gears, Celebrity Jeopardy and a new Texas-based Grey's Anatomy spinoff.