Debuting Sept. 22 on Peacock, The Continental is an experiment that could test the vitality of the John Wick franchise going forward. Set decades before the events of the four films, the show delves into the history of the Continental and how it fell into the hands of Ian McShane's Winston. Focusing on a young Winston (Colin Woodell) and his conflict with the 1970s owner of the hotel Cormac (Mel Gibson), the show is rooted in both the high-octane action of the original films and a grimy and neon-colored version of New York City.
While the three-episode mini-series was always going to be a challenge, the biggest surprise to the people behind the scenes was the sheer creativity and fun that burst out of the production. During a roundtable attended by members of the press (including CBR), The Continental Executive Producers Albert Hughes, Erica Lee, and Basil Iwanyk discussed approaching a John Wick story that didn't actually feature the title character, the appeal of going big with The Continental's absurd elements, and the potential of a follow-up season.
Lee and Iwaynk have been deeply invested in the John Wick franchise, serving as producers on the original film and remaining pivotal parts of it nearly a decade since the first film was released. By contrast, Albert Hughes is a new addition to the franchise. Alongside his brother Allen, Albert directed films like Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, From Hell, and The Book of Eli. Initially, Albert was uninterested in shifting to television. But upon reflection, he admitted that "the landscape has changed. There's so much good TV. I just finished binge-watching Succession and The Handmaid's Tale. I love Mindhunter. They're all made of such quality. It's like, why not?"
"Why go against the winds of change when you can help build windows?" Even beyond the challenge of adapting to television, Hughes admitted that "I didn't think I was going to have this much fun. The reason why it was so fun was because there were no rules. There are rules in the world. But I don't have to adhere to a genre, social issues, generational trauma, or slavery. It's all escapism... That's why [Director Chad Stahelski], I think, stayed in for four movies. If he does Highlander or some other things? He's not gonna have as much fun as does with John Wick."
The Continental is set in the 1970s, long before the events of the John Wick films. The show charts the exploits of numerous movers and shakers within that same world of assassins while also charting the ascension of Winston to his cinematic role as the owner of the titular hotel. Much of the story takes place in New York City, even if the show wasn't actually filmed there. "We shot in Budapest," Lee explained, "which initially was a bit daunting. We built almost everything."
"I mean, there was an existing New York backlot there that we kind of redressed and made our own. But Drew Boughton, our Production Designer, did an enormous amount of research on what Chinatown and New York in the '70s looks like. What it feels like. I think we did an amazing job of kind of capturing the smells, the feels, the really organic nature of it, and then putting a bit of the John Wick spin on it." It ended up feeling so much like the city that Iwanyk, a lifelong New Yorker, admitted it impressed him. "When we heard we were going to Budapest, I was like, 'It's going to look like shit.' I'm the guy that could watch anything and spot that's not New York... I pick out these things, and it annoys the hell out of me. I was shocked. I think that was a thing we pulled off."
From the onset, the elephant in the room for The Continental is the fact that it's a prequel -- an entry to the John Wick franchise with no John Wick to be seen. This was something Iwanyk was keenly aware of during the development and production of the show, explaining that "It's hard to look at why a movie or a franchise works. There's a million different ways to look at it. And you really don't know. There's research and all that bullshit, but it's really something in your gut. This was something we're doing that is pretty cool and in the '70s, but that doesn't have Keanu Reeves or John Wick. Will it work?"
"It was a proof of concept of the health of the franchise and what attracts people to the franchise. I think what's most heartening so far is that people love the show. They love Winston and the Continental and the rules. That's really exciting for us. When we made the first John Wick, we were just kind of going and going and going. There wasn't that much time for self-reflection. 'Why is this working?' It's like when you're flying on a big plane. If you really think about how is this thing flying, you start [freaking out]. That's kind of the John Wick stuff. Let's just go forward and do things that we think are cool, and hopefully people agree. This show was the first time we're going out of our comfort zone, and that's invigorating and exciting, but terrifying."
For Hughes, the freedom to lean into the stylistic thrills of the series was a big reason to get excited. Reflecting on the experience of playing with the John Wick universe, Hughes noted how "what surprised me the most happened the first day we shot. It was the Adjudicator scene in episode one. This guy is getting beat up. I called up Basil, and I said, "I just keep throwing wild stuff at it." He's like, 'Oh, you have a giant universe that just eats up wild stuff. You can throw anything at it. It's just going to ask for more.' Then I continued to play with props, wardrobe... I was encouraging the actors to go big and bold and ad-lib and improvise. I told all the departments to be ambitious."
"You can do that crazy prop. You can do that crazy wardrobe thing. It was amazing how they all kind of got into this synchronized vibe, all pistons firing at the same time. Every day I would show up and I had this adrenaline rush I never had before because I used to not like prep. I used to not like shooting. I used to not like post. This has been my hobby since I was 12. But when you're moving 400 People around, it's arduous. But on this? I would look at these performances. I would look at that vehicle or look at the way they designed that set. It was like Christmas every day. The departments were allowed the freedom to express their kind of art. It wasn't about me. I'm not a chest-thumper. I'm always harder on myself. I did what I needed to do, and some things came out better than I thought. Mostly because others did it, not because of something I did."
Looking back at the finished product -- a three-episode mini-series that highlights a completely different era of the franchise they built with Keanu Reeves, Chad Stahelski, and David Leitch -- Lee reflected on how "I think that the show has far exceeded my expectations. Whenever you're making anything, I always say the ingredients can be great for the cake, but it can still taste like shit, right? It's whatever the alchemy of it is -- the casting, the directing, the personalities, the editorial process. I think we were really lucky with Albert at the helm. He has a very distinctive vision. He came in as a fan of the movies and loved certain aspects of it but also wanted to push certain elements his own way. Music, for example, the soundtrack of the show -- in concept, I was like, 'I'm not really sure that we're going be able to get all those songs. Is that going to work? Is it going to overshadow the show?' That is specifically one thing that I think came together really nicely and gives the show its own distinct personality from the movies."
That personality comes across in the finished product, a series that leans into the stylistic approach and absurd action that's always separated the John Wick series from the rest of Hollywood. "I like that it is absurd," Hughes explained. "I think the audience buys into [it]. The absurdity of John Wick doesn't take itself too seriously. It's winking at you. My whole thing was that I didn't want to overstay our welcome. What Chad does so well is he can get away with 20-minute-long action sequences. I have a longer arc of story to tell. I call it the 'Kobe Steak theory' of doing this. I can marbleize the good fat in there. That's the action. The lean meat is the story and the characters. I like the tension in the build-up to violence and then the short explosion of violence. After doing our early movies, Hollywood pegged my brother and I as being action directors. It's like, no, that's inner city violence. That's not actually -- that's kids dying.
Then we did Dead Presidents. They wanted us to do a Batman or Superman movie. They were actually very kind, but we knew we would ruin those movies. Then you go into Book of Eli, there are action scenes in there, but I'm not an action guy. I like watching it. It's not fun to shoot. It is fun to shoot in the John Wick world though, because you can do silly absurd stuff. It's stuff like in John Wick 3: Parabellum. Slapping the back of the horse so it kicks the dude in the face. Can't do that in the Bourne movies, you know?"
When asked if there are ideas for future seasons of The Continental, Iwaynk revealed that "It has nothing to do with what we want to do. If the audience loves it and embraces [the show], and it's reflected in the reviews, the ratings, the excitement? Then absolutely. You look at Winston [at the end of the season]. And then we look at Winston in the movies. In my mind's eye, Winston over the course of the next thirty years has had to probably kill a friend or two because they broke the rule. You could see all the stuff that got him hardened. The great thing about having a prequel is the other elements, too. What about the Bowery King? There's some stuff in Ballerina, and you think of all this stuff that comes into it, and your mind runs with it. People tease me about it all the time, but I believe in the Movie Gods. The Movie Gods are watching, and the moment they feel like you're getting a little too cocky? I could send you guys the screenplay for Clash of Titans 3 right now [Laughter]. That's when I learned not to get ahead of ourselves. But 100% our hope is to do more of [The Continental]."
The Continental comes to Peacock on Sept. 22.