(UTV | COLOMBO) – Lionsgate TV chairman Kevin Beggs has confirmed “The Continental,” the upcoming TV series spin-off of the “John Wick” franchise,” will be a prequel.
Speaking with Deadline, Beggs revealed the series will be set four decades before the events of “John Wick” and focus on a young version of Ian McShane’s Winston character – the owner of the famed hotel for assassins.
In addition, the series will adopt a format unusual for the U.S. but fairly common in the UK on shows like “Sherlock” – namely it will run for three 90-minute episodes, each one revolving around a specific event.
The winning pitch for the series hailed from the creators of the YouTube Premium exclusive “Wayne” and is set against the backdrop of a crumbling New York in the 1970s when a garbage strike saw bags of garbage piled up to the third floor of most brownstones and the mafia muscling in on that business.
The prequel element also means we won’t be seeing Keanu Reeves in front of the camera, though Reeves is in talks to executive produce. No air date for the series has yet been set, though a fourth film is gearing up for production ahead of a May 27th 2022 release.
