‘Castle’ season 5 spoilers: Who knew Nathan Fillion, Joel McHale had same dad?

James Brolin is making quite a name for himself at the moment playing famous fathers. Late last year, it was announced that the legendary actor was going to be appearing on “Community” as the father to Joel McHale’s Jeff Winger, and now, it just so happens that he will also be the long-mysterious father to Nathan Fillion’s Rick on “Castle.”

According to a new report from TVLine, Brolin will appear in the show’s annual two-part episode airing on February 18 and the 25th, which revolves around Fillion and Stana Katic’s characters trying to solve a murder case only to later learn that there is also a plan in motion to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy Middle Eastern businessman. It is unclear at the moment just how the elder Mr. Castle is going to factor into this story, and it is possible that he does not and is just part of a side story instead.

Up until a matter of weeks ago, “Castle” executive producer Andrew W. Marlowe admitted that he was still unsure as to whether or not he wanted to introduce this character during season 5 at all, citing a desire to hold some cards still close to the vest for future seasons of the show. With this move Marlowe must have either decided that he is no longer interested in waiting, or that he has a longer storyline in mind for Brolin here that would justify him coming back potentially for future episodes moving forward. (“Castle” is not a lock to be renewed for another year, but given its high viewership and strong fan following, it is likely to stick around.)

Do you like Brolin’s casting, or do you see yourself getting a little confused since “Community” pretty much cast him for the same sort of long-awaited role a number of weeks ago? Be sure to share your thoughts / your possible conspiracy theories about Richard Castle and Jeff Winger being related below, and you can read our review for Monday night’s “Castle” here.

Photo: ABC