The Rookie: North, ABC's second spin-off of its long-running police procedural The Rookie, has cast Insecure and Top Gun: Maverick actor Jay Ellis as its lead, playing an older prospective rookie cop named Alex Holland. Ellis has now publicly floated the idea of his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise appearing on the new show, a notable ask given Cruise's rare presence on network television despite his blockbuster film career. The suggestion highlights the growing ambitions around the spin-off as ABC looks to succeed where its first offshoot, the short-lived Rookie: Feds, failed after one season.

The Rookie debuted in 2018 and has grown into one of network television's most durable procedurals, running into an eighth season under creator Alexi Hawley. ABC announced The Rookie: North in November 2025, ahead of the flagship show's Season 8 premiere in January 2026. In a recent interview with Us Magazine, Ellis said, "I would love to have Tom come be on The Rookie: North with us… I'm throwing it out there," before directly addressing Cruise: "Tom, [you should come join], wherever you are… he's probably parachuting somewhere right now or doing a motorcycle jump over a cliff."