Starz has revealed they are developing The Continental – a spinoff television series based on the John Wick franchise. The news came this Friday at the Television Critics Association’s press tour. Lionsgate, which owns the John Wick franchise and recently purchased Starz, sees the potential to expand the John Wick universe with a series based on the film’s exclusive Continental Hotel which houses assassins.
Chris Collins will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the project, who has previously worked as executive producer on The Wire and Sons of Anarchy. Many of the original film’s creative team will also be attached should the project move forward, including director Chad Stahelski, screenwriter Derek Kolstad, and co-director David Leitch. Keanu Reeves will be attached to the series and potentially make a cameo, but he will not be the show’s lead.
With so much of the original creative team involved, The Continental seems promising. The surprise success of the John Wick franchise makes it seem only natural that Lionsgate would want to build on that success with a series over at Starz. There is currently no release date for the series as it has not entered full production, but John Wick: Chapter 3 is coming to theaters May 17, 2019.