Nathan Fillion’s New Rookie Spinoff Star Pitches Tom Cruise Reunion

Published Sep 6, 2026, 7:19 PM EDT My career in journalism got kicked off after eight years as an active duty Naval Aviator, starting with covering college sports for Inside Lacrosse and SB Nation. After joining the staff at USA Today's For The Win, I started dabbling in pop culture coverage and fell in love with it. I'm happy to talk movies and television any time, and I'm usually listening to music (or an audiobook) in my free time. It could be time for Tom Cruise to make his way onto network television. That's the dream for Jay Ellis, who is starring in ABC's new spin-off drama, The Rookie: North. "I would love to have Tom come be on The Rookie: North with us," Ellis said in an interview with Us Magazine. "I’m throwing it out there." The invite also included a direct request to the Mission: Impossible star. "'Tom, [you should come join], wherever you are,'" Ellis stated. "[Since] he’s probably parachuting somewhere right now or doing a motorcycle jump over a cliff." Ellis didn't stop with Cruise, saying none of his former co-stars would be safe from a call asking them to come on The Rookie: North as a guest star. "I would love to have some of my co-stars come pop in. My Top Gun: Maverick co-stars and Insecure folks or Running Point people — or All Her Fault folks," Ellis elaborated in the discussion. "It’d be a lot of fun to have some of them come pop in and do an episode or two with us. I will be calling all of them. All of you will get text messages followed up by phone calls, and I will go through your agents as well." That would be an illustrious list of stars to tap into, as Ellis has shared the screen with actors like Kate Hudson, Brenda Song, and Max Greenfield in Netflix's Running Point, plus Monica Barbaro, Glen Powell, Danny Ramirez and Lewis Pullman in Maverick. And don't forget stars like Issa Rae and Sara Snook from Insecure and All Her Fault, respectively. In The Rookie: North, Ellis will be playing Alex Holland, a man who decides to join the police force in Pierce County, Washington, after experiencing a break-in at his house. Like the original, Holland will be the oldest rookie on the force and have to learn as much about himself as he has to about police work. Ellis, who starred in HBO's Insecure, got his biggest break with a role in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick alongside Cruise. In the billion-dollar blockbuster, Ellis played Reuben "Payback" Fitch, one of the young lieutenants vying for a spot on a dangerous mission with Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. The 44-year-old actor got a taste of Cruise's kind of action in Maverick, having to go through water survival training before filming in actual Navy jets. That kind of experience will benefit his upcoming experience with The Rookie: North, as Ellis is expected to perform his own stunts. "You can’t work with Tom Cruise and then not do your own stunts," Ellis said to Us. The Rookie aired first in 2018, with Nathan Fillion taking on the lead role of John Nolan. It has been a massive hit for ABC, with the season 8 finale hitting a new record high in total streaming for the series with 9.25 million viewers over seven days. The scripted drama is set to return with its ninth season in early 2027. There is no set release date for The Rookie: North as of now, but the show is also expected to hit ABC in early 2027. Release Date October 16, 2018 Network ABC, Hulu Showrunner Alexi Hawley Directors Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro Writers Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff Franchise(s) The Rookie Creator(s) Alexi Hawley