Starz’s upcoming John Wick prequel series The Continental has found its lead star. It has just been announced that Colin Woodell (The Flight Attendant) has boarded the project in what will be the main role in the series. He’ll be playing a younger version of Winston Scott, the character previously portrayed by Ian McShane in the John Wick movies.
The series follows Colin Woodell as Winston, who is “dragged into the Hell-scape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through New York’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the iconic hotel, which serves as the meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals.”
This news follows the announcement that Mel Gibson has also joined the cast. He will be debuting as a new character called Cormac. McShane had previously said he wouldn’t be appearing as Winston in The Continental but teased that he might do voiceover work. Similarly, franchise star Keanu Reeves is not expected to appear in the series, which makes sense as we’re dealing with a prequel, though he may still be involved as an executive producer.
Several additional cast members have also been revealed for the John Wick series. Other new cast members include Hubert Pount-Du Jour (The Good Lord Bird) as Miles; Jessica Allain (The Laundromat) as Lou; Mishel Prada (Vida) as KD; Nhung Kate (The Housemaid) as Yen; and Ben Robson (Animal Kingdom) as Frankie. Whether these characters turn out to be allies or enemies of Winston remains to be seen.
Produced by Lionsgate Television, The Continental is a three-night special-event TV series, essentially consisting of three separate 90-minute movies. Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli) is directing Night One and Night Three with Charlotte Br&ändstr&öm (The Lord of the Rings) directing Night Two. It is written by executive producers and showrunners Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward. Also on board to executive produce are Thunder Road Pictures’ Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Chad Stahelski, Derek Kolstad, David Leitch, Shawn Simmons, Paul Wernick, and Rhett Reese.
Colin Woodell is best known for co-starring with The Big Bang Theory alum Kaley Cuoco in the hit HBO Max series The Flight Attendant. After an acclaimed first season, that show has been renewed for season 2. He is also recognized for his roles in shows like The Purge, The Originals, Designated Survivor, and Masters of Sex. Woodell has also appeared in the movies Unsane, Unfriended: Dark Web, XOXO, and The Call of the Wild.
Meanwhile, the John Wick franchise continues to thrive on the big screen. Keanu Reeves will return as the titular vigilante in John Wick: Chapter 4, which is due to arrive on May 27, 2022. Ian McShane will also return as Winston Scott in the sequel, with other returning franchise stars including Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne. Other stars include Rina Sawayama, Donnie Yen, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skargard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, and Clancy Brown. Chad Stahelski directs the feature using a screenplay by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch.
There’s not a release date set for The Continental at this time. This news comes to us from Deadline.
Source: movieweb.com