Nearly over a year since we’ve last heard an update on Starz and Lionsgate’s upcoming John Wick spinoff series The Continental, and now executive producer Chad Stahelski has finally shared an update on the highly-anticipated project while also teasing their interesting take on the John Wick world. Speaking with Fandom, Stahelski has revealed that The Continental will definitely be told from a very different character perspective in order for fans to get a grasp on how big the hitman world is.
“The angle they’re working on The Continental TV show right now is a different perspective on the whole world, it’s coming at it from different characters’ points of view and what the breadth of the world is,” Stahelski said. “Whereas in John Wick I’m following a time period that’s almost just a week in the life of one man, [for] who everything spirals out of control, which our John Wick story. The angle that the other producers and writers on the TV show are coming from is a very different timeline structure and a very different perspective of character. About how deep the world goes, and not just assassins but everything that’s included. And a lot of the origin stories are some of the characters you see in Wick. So It’s got some very interesting things, it’s a very interesting take on the Wick world, which I think it pretty cool. But it won’t be from the John Wick perspective. Not that John Wick won’t be involved with it, it’s just not from his perspective.”
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Acclaimed writer/producer Chris Collins (Sons of Anarchy, The Wire, and The Man in the High Castle) will write the series and serve as showrunner. The show will be executive produced by a world-class creative team led by Thunder Road Pictures’ Basil Iwanyk (the John Wick film franchise, The Town, Sicario), Chad Stahelski (John Wick co-director and John Wick: Chapter 2 director), John Wick franchise screenwriter Derek Kolstad, along with Collins, David Leitch (John Wick co-director, Deadpool 2) and Keanu Reeves. Stahelski will direct the premiere episode.
Collins expands the universe in the series by focusing on the Continental Hotel and those who find refuge under its roof. Set in a hyper-real version of Los Angeles, the series maintains the urgency of the action along with the dry humor from the John Wick movies. Drawing upon the collaborative efforts of Lionsgate’s film, television and Starz platforms, The Continental continues the growth of a franchise that has already generated three hit films that have grossed over $575 million at the worldwide box office and a successful virtual reality mobile game.
Senior Vice President of Original Programming Karen Bailey is the Starz executive in charge of The Continental. While Starz retains all domestic multiplatform pay TV and SVOD rights to the series. Lionsgate retains all international and domestic distribution and home entertainment rights.
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The original John Wick, directed by David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, hit theaters 2014 and found an immediate fanbase. A first sequel, John Wick: Chapter Two, hit theaters in 2017. In it, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum released earlier this year and followed John going on the run as he’s being hunted for a global $14 million dollar open contract on his life and for breaking a central rule: taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds. The movie earned more than $323 million at the worldwide box office.
