‘The Continental’ – Assassins Rule NYC in the ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off’s First Trailer
The first trailer for The Continental reveals a gritty New York full of violence, killers for hire, and disco-fueled parties.
There are many questions the central John Wick movies don’t answer about the High Table and the broad rules and traditions of the universe. The movies include what’s immediately relevant to John’s journey of revenge. It sounds like those questions will be answered in the upcoming series that’s focused on the hotels. Specifically the New York Hotel run by Winston Scott.
via Peacock
The show will focus on the neutral grounds where business is conducted. There, mercenaries can get a little shut-eye without worrying about getting assassinated (unless you’re John Wick). It will give a background of the world of assassins before the movies – the staff, the clientele, the marks.
We’ll be seeing more of the people that keep The Continental running – from the front desk staff to the armorers. That doesn’t mean it won’t have the action that’s made the franchise successful. Stahelski is also hoping to get some Game of Thrones-level action into the series, but with John Wick‘s style. It’s not amazing CG or vast location shots, it’s mind-blowing stunt work and world-building that will make this show.
via Lionsgate
It also takes us back in time – to the 1970s. Producer Erica Lee talked to Collider about that choice.
“We felt like doing a prequel, doing an alternate timeline gave us a lot of flexibility just in running parallel tracks. But also what I think people love so much about John Wick and the ‘John Wick’ world are learning about the hotels and the Easter eggs.
“We give so little about each character and about the hotel in each movie that I think people were really excited to learn more and dig deeper into The Continental like, what does the cleaner there look like? What is the staff like? How do you get into The Continental? How are the gold coins made? So, with this timeline and this setting, we’re allowed to do a really deep dive into that and explore a lot of that stuff.”
The Continental First Look
The first look is definitely of the era – from the fashion, parties, weapons, and NYC crime rate. This isn’t the clean, elegant hotel we have come to know over the last four movies. This is Scorsese and Lumet’s New York City. And it runs to a disco beat.
The Continental Cast & Details
The Continental is written and run by Chris Collins, who worked on Sons of Anarchy and The Wire. The executive producer list is filled with John Wick alumni, including Stahelski, Kolstad, Basil Iwanyk, and David Leitch. The creators are promising a good mix of story and the action the franchise is known for.
Since we’re in a different era, there are new actors. Colin Woodell is a young Winston Scott (who is played by Ian McShane in the movies), and Ayomide Adegun portrays a young Charon (played by the late Lance Reddick in the current timeline). The cast also includes Mel Gibson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada, Nhung Kate, and Ben Robson.
The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.
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The Continental will debut on Peacock this September.
