After a jaw-dropping cliffhanger in the Season 8 finale, The Rookie Season 9 began filming last week. The team captivated experts at the Indigo Ballroom at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 on Saturday, July 25, 2026. Lead actor Nathan Fillion, who attended the prestigious film festival with his colleagues, is scheduled to join the production this Monday, while the rest of the cast began filming without him a week ago.At Comic-Con, creator Alexi Hawley detailed the upcoming episodes and what to expect from them. Here’s a detailed look at the production of Season 9 of “The Rookie.”
The Rookie Season 9: Production and Estimated Release Date
Hawley revealed that the upcoming season is likely to be very ambitious, filled with high-stakes twists and unexpected stories. “It’s a two-part show, so it’s not all resolved in one episode; there’s a lot going on,” he said on Deadline, before adding, “I think it’s the best thing we’ve ever done; it’s high-stakes, high-drama. It’s a love story; it’s funny and unexpected. I just wish everything had waited until January.”” The “January” mentioned in the last part definitely means that following the pattern of past seasons, the release is scheduled for January. According to Collider , Hawley confirmed that The Rookie Season 9 “started filming last Tuesday.” In addition, the spin-off series “Rookie: North” will begin production in August. The next season will start with a kidnapping suspense. “We’re definitely going to start that way by figuring out where they are and figuring out how to get them back and what barriers we can put in place in that regard,” the creators told Deadline in May. During Saturday’s panel, Alexi Hawley participated in a panel discussion with actors including Melissa O’Neal, Eric Winter, Nathan Fillion, Richard T. Jones, Alyssa Diaz, Mekia Cox, Sean Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, Lisese Chavez, and Derek Augustine, and fans were also surprised to see an appearance from Jay Ellis, star of the upcoming spinoff.