Him and me both! I think I got about mid-way through the second episode before I gave up. We are not the only ones. John Wick has always been a bit of a critical and fan darling, with its no-frills approach harking back to a simpler time of action filmmaking. The Continental got no such free pass.
The Peacock-based prequel took place in the 1970s and followed a younger version of Ian McShane’s Winston Scott, played by Colin Woodell. There was much excitement over the inclusion of Mel Gibson in the cast. It didn’t really work.
In an interview over at Movieweb , original Winston actor Ian McShane gave his blunt assessment of The Continental:
“I wouldn’t watch it. I have no intentions – nobody – I don’t think Keanu [Reeves] watched it, neither has Chad [Stahelski]. It had nothing to do with our movies.
It’s just a question of a TV company cashing in on the series and taking the option to [air?]. They never asked us about anything so why would I be interested in seeing it?
I’m afraid their arrogance in getting the show out is beyond me so I wish them well. I think it’s come and gone, hasn’t it?”
It might be this failure that has made Lionsgate turn back to Chad Stahelski and giving him an overall deal that means he is firmly in the driving seat of anything to do with the John Wick universe. Prequels, spin-offs, comics. It all has to go through him.
The Len Wiseman-directed spin-off film Ballerina is firmly inside the tent, with McShane, Reeves, and the late Lance Reddick all making appearances alongside Ana de Armas. Ballerina opens June 7th in theaters.
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