Nathan Fillion Compares ‘The Rookie’ Season 8 to the James Bond Franchise

Season 8 of the ABC police procedural drama, The Rookie, is already in production which will be music to the ears of the show’s dedicated audience. Unfortunately, the show will not return till 2026, but recent production updates should have fans excited about what lies ahead. The series is set in Los Angeles, which meant that the trip by the cast and crew to Prague, as revealed by Jenna Dewan, who plays firefighter Bailey Nune, was extremely exciting. This means that Season 8 of the series will begin in Europe, marking the first time The Rookie has gone abroad.

Exactly what takes the team to the Czech Republic remains under wraps for now. However, series star, Nathan Fillion, has opened up about having to film the police procedural in Prague. Fillion, who also plays Green Lantern in the upcoming DC movie, Superman, made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live to discuss the James Gunn-led effort. While the superhero film was a huge part of the conversation, Fillion, in his conversation with guest host Anthony Anderson, addressed what it was like to shoot his police procedural series in the Czech Republic. The actor’s comments read:

“We went off to Prague to shoot a portion of the premiere episode of season 8 … It felt like I was shooting Casino Royale. I’m telling you, I’m in a suit, you’re walking down these incredible streets. I love the history. There’s so much history. This building was built in the 1400s, but behind it are the old buildings. This beautiful clock, and it’s such a dark history, too. This beautiful clock, it was so incredible, they said after the fella made it, they went and burned out his eyes with a white-hot poker so he would never make anything so beautiful again. Like, these were tough times.”

Thanks to these behind-the-scenes clips, we can deduce that The Rookie Season 8 premiere will take place in the city of Prague. Nolan won’t be alone in Europe, as he is joined by Bailey, Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan) and Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox). They are joined by Matt Garza (Felix Solis) from The Rookie: Feds. The presence of Matt and Monica all point to the new season picking up the pieces from the Season 7 finale. Monica had, somehow, managed to earn herself an immunity deal, slipping out of the net the team had caught her in. The Season 8 premiere might be the unit’s attempt at finding her in Prague.

ABC Seems To Have Ever-Increasing Faith in ‘The Rookie’

The fact that The Rookie has been allowed to go abroad — something that broadcast network shows rarely do — showcases how much ABC has in its hit police procedural. Allowing the series to kick off its Season 8 premiere in Europe is one of many signs that the network is fully committed to the show. That faith is equally shown in the proposed plans for a spin-off titled The Rookie North by the original series’ creator, Alexi Hawley. It’d mark the network’s second attempt at developing a franchise after only one season of The Rookie: Feds. Details about the spin-off suggest similarities to Fillion’s original series. The Rookie North is set in Washington state, with the lead character, “tentatively named Alex [is] a former overachiever who becomes a rookie cop after his life did not go as planned.”