Mel Gibson to star in ‘John Wick’ prequel series ‘The Continental’

Veteran actor Mel Gibson has been roped in to play a pivotal role in the “John Wick” prequel series “The Continental” for Starz and Lionsgate Television.

The show, originally ordered in 2018, focuses on the inner workings of the titular hotel from the film franchise, which is a refuge for assassins.

It will explore the origin behind the hotel-for-assassins 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,” the plotline reads.

According to Deadline, Gibson will play a new character named Cormac, but no further details are available about his role.

“The Continental” will be a three-night event series, but no premiere date is currently set.

Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward are writing the series and will serve as showrunners as well as executive producers.

Chad Stahelski, Derek Kolstad, David Leitch, Shawn Simmons, Paul Wernick, and Rhett Reese are all executive producing along with Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road Pictures. “The Continental” will be the first series based on the Keanu Reeves-led “John Wick” film trilogy, which has grossed almost USD 600 million worldwide.

All the three films have been scripted by Kolstad and directed by Stahelski. They are currently filming “John Wick: Chapter Four” with Reeves reprising his assassin character. Actor Ian McShane plays the older version of Winston in the movies.