As any fan can attest, The Continental Hotel plays an important role in the John Wick film universe. An upcoming Starz TV series spinoff will take that hotel’s name as its title and expand upon its storyline in the process. ‘The Continental’ will most likely air in late 2021 and will be based on the super successful franchise starring Keanu Reeves as the titular John Wick. Here’s everything we know so far.
What Will ‘The Continental’ Be About?
The upcoming TV series will reportedly tell the origin story of The Continental, John Wick’s former hotel of choice when he was in town to do bloody battle. It will focus on how the exclusive hotel serves as a refuge for professional assassins, with a strict no-violence policy.
So what can you expect from the series? It “promises to include the thunderous fight sequences and intensely staged shootouts between professional assassins and their targets that fans have come to expect in the John Wick movie franchise,” explained former Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht. It will also introduce “some new, darkly compelling characters who inhabit this underground world.”
Who’s Working on ‘The Continental’?
‘The Continental’ will reportedly be written by Chris Collins and produced by Lionsgate TV for the Starz network. Original film franchise creatives Chad Stahelski, Derek Kolstad, and David Leitch have also returned to the fold, as has producer Basil Iwanyk from Thunder Road Pictures. Then there’s the mighty Keanu Reeves, who’s on board as an executive producer.
Who Will Star in ‘The Continental’?
Early rumours indicate that Reeves will appear on-screen in the series, though not in a recurring capacity. While both fans and executives alike would love to see the return of Ian McShane—who played The Continental’s night manager in the films—he’s not expected to appear. It’s also unclear as to whether “John Wick” hotel manager Charon (Lance Reddick) will star in the series or even make a cameo.
Meanwhile, the series will introduce an exciting new assassin, who didn’t previously appear in any of the films. He or she will be one amongst a number of new cast members. It’s also been confirmed that the show will feature “several” characters from the films, though we’re not entirely sure who will show up.
Of course, one question takes precedent above all others: how much time will the John Wick character spend on screen? Current Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch is being pretty tight-lipped about the subject of casting: “That is a really good question that I’m not going to answer. No answer is as good a tease as you’re going to get.”
When Will ‘The Continental’ Air?
With the coronavirus currently taking its toll on various Hollywood productions, there’s no telling if either the fourth John Wick film or TV series spin-off have been affected. Presuming everything goes as originally planned, “John Wick 4″ will debut in May 2021 and ‘The Continental’ will air soon after that.
In a 2019 interview with Deadline, Hirsch stated, “My sense is that where we are today, the movie date has been set but we’re still in early development on the series so most likely after.” Carmi Zlotnick, President of Programming for Starz, said, “I’d like to be in production sometime in 2019.”
However, the show was still in development earlier this year. At TCA (Television Critics Association), Hirsch gave the following update: “I had a meeting on a season pitch for this yesterday. We like the group of writers, and we’re trying to get it in the right place so it doesn’t interfere with the motion picture. It will air sometime after the fourth movie.”
What Else Can We Expect from ‘The Continental’?
According to early reports, the upcoming John Wick TV series will visit multiple branches of The Continental and straddle a number of cities. Stahelski said the following: “They have different ideas what to do with ‘The Continental’ about where to base it and how many different cities would be achievable on a production schedule to go and visit…I think the Cocoa Exchange down by Wall Street where we shoot the New York Continental, they’re not going anywhere. I think we’re good.”
Currently being developed as an origin story, the series won’t conflict with the fourth John Wick movie. “The show and the movies exist side by side. There will be no conflict,” Albrecht said back in 2018.
The first season was originally intended to run for eight episodes while the series was poised to run for at least three seasons. Confirming as much, Stahelski stated, “I think we have at least three seasons of TV.” Of course, things might have changed in the time since, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.
Needless to say, the John Wick creatives have their work cut out for them if they’re going to make that 2021 deadline. Now that production on virtually all shows and movies has grinded to a halt, we expect some delays. Stay tuned!
General FAQ
Lionsgate TV is currently producing a John Wick spin-off series for the Starz network. It's expected to focus on the Continental Hotel and feature new characters. According to early reports, it will air at some point after the fourth John Wick movie.
The John Wick character draws upon multiple sources and is not based on a real-life person. That said, the first film was reportedly inspired by former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, whose dog was killed by four men in 2009.
A fixture in the John Wick universe, the Continental Hotel is where underworld assassins stay while doing business in the city. The hotel has a strict no-violence policy.
