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Movies & TV

14th Apr 2023

John Wick prequel TV show will have similar structure to another classic series

Stephen Porzio

The Continental

Co-starring Mel Gibson, a teaser trailer for the John Wick prequel series hit the web this week.

A John Wick prequel TV series will arrive on screens in a few months and is set to evoke comparisons to an older and much-beloved show thanks to its unique structure.

The first teaser trailer for The Continental: From the World of John Wick hit the web this week. The series will depict how New York’s The Continental, the hotel for assassins that plays such a pivotal role in the action movie franchise, came to be.

It will do this through the point of view of a young Winston Scott. In the John Wick movies, Scott (Ian McShane) is the owner of New York’s The Continental and is a sometimes friend, sometimes foe of Keanu Reeves’ hitman.

The younger version of Scott in the series will be played by Colin Woodell (Ambulance, The Flight Attendant). The synopsis for the show reads:

“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.”

Given that The Continental will consist of only three episodes, each with a reported 90-minute runtime, the series is set to recall the BBC’s hit show Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

Like the John Wick prequel, each series of Sherlock consisted of just three feature-length episodes, which made every entry in the show feel like more of an event.

Alongside Woodell, The Continental’s cast includes Oscar-winner Mel Gibson, as well as Jeremy Bobb (The Knick), Jessica Allain (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Katie McGrath (Jurassic World), Peter Greene (Pulp Fiction) and Ray McKinnon (Rectify). Two of its three episodes will be directed by Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli, Menace II Society).

The Continental: From the World of John Wick will premiere on Peacock in September. You can check out its teaser trailer right here:

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