We first learned about a planned John Wick TV spin-off way back in 2017. At the time it was described as a full-blown TV series exploring the origins of Wick’s fellow assassins, and how the famous Continental hotel became a safe haven for killers. Now, it appears The Continental has been reworked into a shorter ‘event series’ with each episode being movie-length and backed by a $US20 million ($27 million) budget.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three-episode prequel series will be directed by Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli) in its first and third episodes, with a mystery director helming episode two.
There’ll be several familiar faces on the crew for The Continental, including original John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad and director Chad Stahelski, so you can expect all the high-flying, hard-hitting action of the Wick trilogy here.
What is The Continental about?
The Continental will reportedly be a prequel series focusing on Winston, the Continental proprietor played by Ian McShane in the films. According to early reports, it’ll be set around 40 years before the events of John Wick and follow Winston as he kicks off his career as a hitman who works to create a haven for assassins in 1970s New York.
Given this setting, it’s unlikely McShane will return to the role — but we don’t know exactly how the series will explore his origin, so he could still make an appearance.
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Early rumours also point to Keanu Reeves making a return in the show but this is unconfirmed, and may have been changed since the reported ‘rework’.
All we know for now is The Continental is a very intriguing prospect, and one we can all salivate over. Alongside John Wick 4, 5 and the reported Ballerina spin-off, it’ll help establish the franchise as a major heavy-hitter in the entertainment landscape.
The John Wick franchise started from humble beginnings — but its phenomenal and unexpected popularity will likely mean it lives on forever.
The Continental is expected to air on Starz in the United States at some point in the future, but no Australian streaming home has been announced yet.
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