Nathan Fillion’s 7 Biggest TV and Movie Roles Over the Years

Nathan Fillion has had quite the career.

The actor has an extensive filmography that spans over three decades.

He’s starred in a handful of films and shows, and appeared in even more. Some were success, some were not, while others were as memorable as ever. Between The Rookie, Castle, Superman, and even One Life to Live, Fillion has had a range of roles throughout the years, and here are some of his biggest ones.

One Life to Live – Joey Buchanan

In one of his first major roles, Fillion had a contract role on One Life to Live as Joey Buchanan from 1994 to 1997. The actor took over for Chris McKenna, who played Joey from 1990 to 1993. Fillion was the fourth actor to play the character, who is the son of original protagonists Victoria Lord and Joe Riley Sr. After leaving the series in 1997, Don Jeffcoat assumed the role.

Fillion ultimately returned 10 years after leaving to briefly play Joey for One Life to Live’s 9,999^th and 10,000^th episodes in 2007.

Firefly and Serenity – Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds

In 2002, Fillion landed the role of Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds in the short-lived Fox space Western drama Firefly. Created by Joss Whedon, the series, set in the year 2517 after the arrival of humans in a new star system called The Verse, follows the adventures of a renegade crew of Serenity, a “Firefly-class” spaceship.

Also starring Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, and Ron Glass, Firefly only lasted for 14 episodes before it was canceled. Due to the show’s post-airing success, Whedon and Universal Pictures produced the 2005 film Serenity, which continues the story from the series. The entire main cast reprised their roles, including Fillion.

Castle – Richard Castle

Fillion starred as the titular best-selling mystery writer Richard Castle in ABC’s mystery crime dramedy Castle. It centered on Richard and Stana Katic’s Kate Beckett, a homicide detective, as they solve various unusual crimes in New York City.

Created by Andrew W. Marlowe, the series ran for eight seasons before it was ultimately canceled in 2016 following Katic’s unceremonious firing, despite cast members signing on for a potential ninth season. Susan Sullivan, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Molly C. Quinn, Jon Huertas, Tamala Jones, Seamus Dever, Penny Johnson Jerald, and Toks Olagundoye.

The Rookie – John Nolan

Fillion can most recently be seen on the small screen as Officer John Nolan in ABC’s The Rookie. The series centers on Nolan as the oldest rookie in the LAPD. Season 8 is set to premiere in January and will kick off in Prague. The Rookie spawned the short-lived spinoff The Rookie: Feds, and is eyeing another spinoff, The Rookie North, but additional details have not yet been shared.

The Rookie is created by Alexi Hawley and also currently stars Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, Lisseth Chavez, and Deric Augustine.

The Suicide Squad – Cory Pitzner/T.D.K. (The Detachable Kid)

In 2021, Fillion starred in DC’s The Suicide Squad. He portrayed Cory Pitzner/T.D.K. (The Detachable Kid), a metahuman who can detach his arms from his body. The film starred Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, Sylvester Stallone, and Viola Davis.

The film only made $168.7 million on an $185 million budget. It received positive reviews and was the most-streamed DCEU film on HBO Max, despite its poor box office performance, which is attributed to COVID-19 and HBO Max.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 –  Master Karja

After having a deleted scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and having a voice cameo in the first film, Fillion’s time to shine finally came with the third film. Releasing in 2023, he starred in the third and final Guardians film as Master Karja, an orgosentry at Orgocorp.

The film made $845 million at the box office and was both a critical and commercial success. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2023 and was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 96^th Academy Awards.

Superman – Guy Gardner/Green Lantern

Fillion just can’t seem to stay away from superhero movies. He starred in the newest Superman film with David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern. Fillion had previously voiced Green Lantern in numerous direct-to-video films including Reign of the Supermen in 2019 and The Death of Superman in 2018. Additionally, he worked with director James Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as well as The Suicide Squad.

The movie, which released in July, made over $600 million at the box office and is part of the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. The Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, will be releasing in 2027, but as of now, the full cast has not been confirmed.