Deadline is reporting that Starz has enlisted 2x Academy Award-winner Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon; Braveheart) to star in The Continental, the upcoming three-part event series that will serve as a prequel to Lionsgate's John Wick film franchise starring Keanu Reeves in the title role.
While a young Winston Scott will be the show's lead, Gibson will feature prominently as a character named Cormac.
"The Continental will explore the origin behind the hotel-for-assassins, which increasingly has become the centerpiece of the John Wick universe. This will be accomplished through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, 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 the 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."
With casting now underway, it's only a matter of time before we learn who will be stepping into the shoes of Winston, played brilliantly in the films by Ian McShane, and whether or not more familiar characters could be popping in.
The show remains a relative mystery, but when we recently caught up with John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, he teased big things for the show and major developments that will hopefully only enhance what fans already love about the acclaimed action franchise.
Meanwhile, John Wick: Chapter 4 is tentatively scheduled to open in theaters on May 27, 2022; which is also the opening date of Tom Cruise's long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick, so it seems likely one - presumably the former - will end up moving.