It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything definite about the tv series offshoot of the “John Wick” franchise. It’s something we’ve been looking forward to for sometime, even without the film’s star Keanu Reeves or Ian McShane appearing. Does a show about the origin of an assassin’s safe space hotel really need them?
Originally announced back in 2018, “The Continental” was pitched as a tv spinoff of the Chad Stahelski-directed “John Wick” franchise. STARZ was revealed as cable home for it, and rumors ran rampant about Reeves and McShane appearing at some point. Cut to several years later, and we still don’t really know what’s going on with the project.
in a recent interview with Lionsgate TV Chairman Kevin Biggs, “The Continental” was described as something akin to Marvel Studios and DC Comics’ tv offshoots in terms of mythology and possibilities.
“It’s got such a great mythology and such interesting style, and the gun fu approach of these incredibly poetic stunt esthetics is just out of this world, which is why the movie with Keanu Reeves — who is so amazing in everything he does but particularly compelling as John Wick in our mind — it just cries out to be something in TV. Just like the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe from a TV perspective are incredibly opportunities, and that is our superhero franchise in the family.”
We have to agree. For something so straight forward as neutral ground for assassins, there is a veritable goldmine of lore to introduce. Biggs went on to describe what audiences can expect to see from the show.
“What we’re exploring in The Continental is the young Winston and how it came to be that he and his team of confederates found their way into this hotel which we have met for the first time in the movie franchise 40 years later. That’s the arena. I won’t give away more than that, but Starz really leaned into this take also, and they have been great collaborators. And how we’ve approached this first season is as three essentially 90-minute events which you could construe as a limited series or a limited event series.”
And as to why we won’t be seeing Reeves? Well, it makes sense in terms of this being a backstory, set many many years before John Wick becomes the person we know him to be. But, Reeves is executive producing the story, so never say never.
“Keanu is likely executive producing. Because we’re way back in time, way back pre-John Wick and even pre-young John Wick, that character is not finding his way into the universe. We are in the John Wick universe, but it’s way back in time. Think about the Game of Thrones prequels before you know any of the players, but you do know the world. But Keanu and Chad have read every draft and been enthusiastic supporters of expanding this universe in a meaningful way. So, I never rule out anything, but at this point he’s pretty busy making his movies which are very important to us.”
We’ll let you know what we hear about “The Continental” and future “John Wick” films as more news becomes available.
