Franchises are one of the biggest things in Hollywood right now and successful and beloved ones are tough to come by. John Wick is becoming one of the most beloved and most unlikely franchises around. What probably should have just been a one-and-done action movie is now an expanding universe that is about to expand to TV. Yes, a John Wick TV series is happening and we now have some details, including the title of the upcoming show centered on the world of John Wick.
IndieWire got some details on the John Wick TV series that Lionsgate is currently working on, which is going under the title of The Continental. Those who have seen John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2 know that this is in reference to the hotel chain that is home to the world’s league of assassins, that includes Keanu Reeves’ legendary Boogeyman, John Wick. Director Chad Stahelski revealed some details about the show, explaining that the show will allow for viewers to follow other characters in that world that the movies simply can’t allow. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“They’ve got a really good structure. It’s very tied to the film [in that] it’s about the Continentals all over the world, how certain people come into that world, and what happens in relation to those people, which is cool. I think the world is very vast, and everything I’ve heard from it is very positive. […] It’s something that studio seems very, very intent on [making] and very, very behind… You can be with the consigliere, concierge, the sommelier, you can be with all these different characters and walk through the world in different aspects; ones that I’m a little limited [from exploring] by staying with my lead guy.”
Lionsgate won’t reveal who is writing The Continental yet, but Chad Stahelski, who directed both John Wick movies and is currently prepping John Wick 3, which he may or may not direct, is involved and hopes to direct a couple of episodes. But his schedule is quite busy, as is Keanu Reeves, but they still hope to get him to pop in the show here and there. Though, the John Wick series will not actually center on the titular character from the franchise.
“I think he would make an appearance. I think that’s part of his thing, [But the series] isn’t centered around John Wick.”
In truth, having the show not centered on John Wick is probably for the best. One of the best things about those movies is that they have a very rich universe that has been built out, but it raises more questions than it answers. So getting to explore The Continental is something that fans would surely enjoy, and TV is the perfect place for that. The other great thing about John Wick is the action. That could perceivably be an issue on TV, but Chad Stahelski likes the challenge and thinks it can totally work outside of a movie, using Game of Thrones as an example of how big action can be on TV.
“Look at ‘Battle of the Bastards’. As an action designer, I think that’s the best battle I’ve ever seen on TV. They did a great job, and they weren’t careless with their money. They planned it, they boarded it, you watch the behind-the-scenes, [it’s clear] the guys did everything right. Granted, they’re the biggest budgeted show on TV right now, but could we do something interesting with John Wick with what we have? Yeah. I’d like to give it a go and prove to the TV world that you can have feature action on a TV show. It would be a nice little feather in my cap, sure.”
As of right now, no network is attached for The Continental, but this seems like a sure thing. It could wind up on cable, somewhere like AMC or FX, but it also seems like the kind of thing that Netflix or Amazon could step in and pick up. We’ll have to wait on that one, but either way, fans can look forward to a lot more John Wick action in the future.