The Lionsgate studio hit the jackpot in 2014 with the first John Wick film. Not only did the stylish action thriller revive Keanu Reeves’ career. He also laid the foundation for one of the most successful action series of the past few years, which led to numerous imitators in Hollywood.
Four John Wick adventures have hit the big screen so far, each more successful than the last. The most recent installment in the series, John Wick: Chapter 4, grossed over $430 million worldwide. The announced six years ago Spin-off series The Continental, on the other hand, was stuck in production hell for a long time.
John Wick series on Amazon Prime: The Continental was originally planned completely differently
Can John Wick work without Keanu Reeves? In 2017, those responsible for the series were convinced of this and began working on a series project called History of the films functions. A year later, Lionsgate gave The Continental the green light – at that time the series was to be created for the US broadcaster Starz.
You can watch the trailer for The Continental here:
The Continental: From the World of John Wick – S01 Trailer (German) HD
Chad Stahelski, the director behind all of the John Wick films, was set to direct the pilot episode, while even Guest appearances by original stars like Keanu Reeves were discussed. Chris Collins (Sons of Anarchy, The Wire) took over as showrunner, but then things turned out very differently than planned.
The Continental has been reworked several times – so much so that we… not a classic series get more. Led by Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward and Shawn Simmons (the creative team behind Wayne), a three-part event series has now been created, which will be published in the USA on Peacock and internationally on Amazon Prime.
Three new John Wick films on Amazon Prime: The Continental disappoints in its current form
The special thing: The episodes wait with each one Running length of 90 minutes on. So basically we’re getting three new John Wick films. These take you to New York in the 1970s and tell the story of the later hotel manager Winston Scott (Colin Woodell), who is portrayed in the films by Ian McShane.
The main cast of The Continental:
Stahelksi and Reeves are no longer involved in The Continental. Instead, Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli) and Charlotte Brändström (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) took over the direction. The result comes very mediocre at. The review aggregator Metacritic lists 57 out of 100 points as the average rating.
Amazon
Colin Woodell as young Winston Scott in The Continental
FILMSTARTS colleague Björn Becher sums up the tenor of the trade press well in his detailed review:
The fact that The Continental offers less action than you would expect from an entry in the John Wick franchise is a minor problem. Most of the characters are simple uninteresting and irrelevant.
Where the John Wick films press us into the cinema seat, there is apparently no more than one in the series unmotivated franchise expansion came out.
The Continental on Amazon Prime: All information about the release of the John Wick series
The John Wick series starts today, September 22, 2023, on Amazon Prime. You can stream the first episode from 2 p.m. The other two chapters will be available next week and the week after on Friday at the same time.
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