Peacock has unveiled its rollout plans for its three-part event series The Continental, which is set in the deadly world of Lionsgate’s John Wick franchise.
Part 1 will debut on Friday, Sept. 22, with Part 2 coming on Sept. 29, and Part 3 due on Oct. 6. The series will have to contend with new movies opening on those Friday nights, including Dumb Money, Drive-Away Dolls, Expend4bles, Saw X, The Creator, Kraven the Hunter, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
The Continental will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott as he’s dragged into the hellscape of 1970s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the Continental’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.
Colin Woodell (The Flight Attendant) stars as the younger version of Ian McShane‘s character from the John Wick franchise, and he’ll be joined by Mel Gibson and two of my all-time favorite character actors — Jeremy Bobb (HBO’s The Outsider) and Peter Greene (Pulp Fiction). The rest of the cast includes Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Nhung Kate, Jessica Allain, Ayomide Adegun, and Katie McGrath, who can be seen above.
Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli) directed the opening and closing installments, while Charlotte Brandstrom (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) directed the middle entry. The series was developed, written, and executive produced by Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward, and Shawn Simmons, while Ken Kristensen also served as a writer.
Additional executive producers on the project include Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road Pictures, original John Wick directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, original Wick writer Derek Kolstad, industry vets Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, Marshall Persinger, and Hughes.
At Comic-Con this week, Hughes told the crowd that he and Brandstrom worked closely with action director Larnell Stovall to deliver the kind of high-octane scenes that have come to define the John Wick franchise along with its rich array of dastardly characters.
“Once you see them in action, there’s gonna be cosplay for years to come,” promised Stovall.
“For the fans out there, we got you,” added Hughes.
Hughes also noted that the show was shot on old lenses he and his team found at Panavision in order to best convey the ’70s time period. They’re the kind of antiquated lenses that shot Cool Hand Luke, Doctor Zhivago, and The Graduate, so perhaps they’ll bring The Continental some good luck. Stay tuned on that front…
