Though we don’t yet know if there will be a John Wick 5, the franchise itself is as busy as ever with the upcoming Ballerina movie and the three-part prequel series, The Continental, set to further explore its lore and expand its story. The Peacock original series, which will drop in the middle of a much earlier period of the saga, will be here soon enough, bringing with it what sounds like a gritty, exciting, and action-packed spectacle fans will certainly enjoy.
If this is the first you’re hearing about the show developed by Kirk Ward, Greg Coolidge, and Shawn Simmons, don’t worry, because we’re about to break down everything we know about the show, including its release date, cast, its teaser trailer, and several tidbits of info about its story. Let’s go back to the Continental, shall we?
What Is The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Premiere Date?
Early in the show’s development, it was believed that The Continental’s debut would be tied to John Wick Chapter 4 in that it would release sometime after the movie, and that will be the case, because the prequel series will kick off September 22nd on Peacock. According to Variety, the first chapter in the three-part event will debut on the date listed above, with the second and third episodes coming out on September 29th and October 6th, respectively.
The series, which was initially being developed for Starz several years ago before moving over to Peacock, will be streaming internationally on Prime Video upon its release, according to Deadline.
Colin Woodell, Ayomide Adegun, And Mel Gibson Lead The Continental Cast
We’ve met a lot of incredible John Wick characters over the years, and when the prequel series premieres this fall, we’ll see younger versions of at least two of the fan-favorites along with some entirely new assassins.
The Continental cast will be headlined by Colin Woodell (The Flight Attendant) as a younger version of Winston Scott, Ayomide Adegun (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) as Charon, and Mel Gibson as a character named Cormac, Peacock has announced. But, that isn’t all, as these are just three of the figures who’ll appear in the large cast.
The streaming platform has also revealed that Nhung Kate (The Housemaid), Ben Robson (Animal Kingdom), Mishel Prada (Riverdale), Hubert Point-Du Jour (The Good Lord Bird), Jessica Allain (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Jeremy Bobb (Russian Doll), and Peter Greene (The Mask) will all appear in some capacity throughout the three-part event.
The Continental Teaser Trailer Is Full Of Assassins, Mystery, And ‘70s Vibes
Though we haven’t seen a full trailer from the John Wick prequel series, Peacock gave the world a quick look at the action that is to come in the form of a teaser trailer back in April, one that was full of assassins, mystery, and some serious ‘70s vibes. Even though Keanu Reeves’ character isn’t around (he would be a kid at the time the show takes place), the series looks to be in step with the beloved action franchise:
Again, this is just a teaser for what’s to come, and we should expect to see more footage from the upcoming three-night streaming event ahead of its September release. If the rest of the bloody and brutal action is like what we’ve seen so far, we’re in for one hell of a ride this fall.
The Series Will Explore The Origin Of The New York Continental Through The Eyes Of A Young Winston
While the first four John Wick movies were primarily told through the eyes of Keanu Reeves’ titular character, The Continental will instead see the action through the eyes of a young Winston Scott, who is not yet the manager of the legendary New York hotel. Peacock has announced that the series will follow Winston as he is dragged into the hellscape of 1970s New York City when his past comes back to bite him. Over the course of his intense and action-packed journey, the fan-favorite character will navigate the Big Apple’s seedy underworld in an attempt to make his own future.
Albert Hughes And Charlotte Brändström Split Up Directing Duties
Chad Stahelski directed all four of the John Wick movies (the first alongside David Leitch), and though he will be stepping in as an executive producer instead of director for the prequel series, the two filmmakers splitting up the three episodes are more than capable of handling action and drama and anything else thrown their way.
Peacock has announced that Albert Hughes will direct the first and third episodes of the series, while Charlotte Brändström will be helming the middle chapter of The Continental. If their respective careers are any indication of what viewers will see go down this fall, we’ll be in very good hands.
One half of the Hughes Brothers filmmaking duo, Albert got his start writing and directing movies like the big 1993-defining movie Menace II Society and Dead Presidents. He also directed From Hell and The Book of Eli alongside his brother, Allen. Prior to working on The Continental, Hughes directed an episode of the Showtime original series The Good Lord Bird.
Brändström is no stranger to the small screen, as she has directed episodes of recent hit series like The Witcher and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Throughout her career, she has also led episodes of Chicago P.D., FBI, Outlander, and The Outsider, to name only a few.
The ‘Partnership’ Shared By Winston And Charon Will Be A Big Part Of The Series
We saw how the Winston/Charon partnership came to an end in an early and shocking scene in John Wick: Chapter 4, and now we’ll get to see how it all started in The Continental. When speaking with Deadline in May 2023, Albert Hughes revealed that viewers will see how the “partnership” shared by the two longtime friends formed all those years ago:
We see how Winston and Charon became who they are, and how their weird, mysterious partnership formed. As it hashed out in drafts, it was the old 48 Hours or The Defiant Ones, the Black and White guy partnership with two cultures coming together.
Though it won’t undo the sting of losing the beloved character, or the late Lance Reddick who played him over the course of four movies, seeing the early days of Winston and Charon’s friendship, especially how it was described by one of the show’s directors, has us very excited to see what lies ahead.
Expect to hear more about The Continental as we get closer to its September 22nd premiere date. In the meantime, check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming to the small screen this fall.
