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The Continental: Who Are The Villains in Peacock's John Wick Prequel Spinoff?
The Continental: From the World of John Wick arrives on Peacock Friday, Sep. 22.
Forget chocolates on the pillow, freshly-laundered towels, and mini bottles of shampoo. The creature comforts one often associates with the average hotel are of little importance to the clientele of the The Continental, the killer-friendly establishment prominently featured in the John Wick cinematic universe.
All that truly matters is that hired hitmen and women have a neutral place in which to dine and kick back without fear of having their brains splattered over the wall like a Jackson Pollack original. A rare thing to come by in a criminal world where everyone has a potential target on their backs.
RELATED: "You Can Never Be Too Crazy": The Continental Creators Reveal John Wick Spin-Off Secrets at SDCC
The iconic lodgings preferred by contract executioners the world over will take center stage a little over a month from now when The Continental limited series (the first Wick-related spinoff) debuts on Peacock. Watch the new trailer right here!
Confined to three episodes, the ever-so-groovy prequel is set to explore how fan favorite Winston Scott (played as a young man by Colin Woodell) took over as the hotel's longtime manager in 1970s New York. But the road to power is always full of obstacles.
Who are the villains in The Continental?
The show features several antagonists — from assassin twins Hansel and Gretel (Mark Musashi and Marina Mazepa); to a mysterious masked stranger (Katie McGrath) and her torture-happy underling; to pre-Winston manager Cormac (Mel Gibson). The idea was to emulate the "vibrant, bizarre obscure characters" of the hit film series, Woodell explained to the magazine. "We wanted to honor that, but also make our own thing."
That information comes from the September 2023 issue of Empire (pick up a copy for yourself right here).
Another tribute to the movies concerns Winston's preferred neckwear, which apparently sparked a costuming controversy behind-the-scenes. Does the character made famous by Ian McShane wear cravats or ascots? That is the question!
"There was an ongoing debate," Woodell said, revealing that the back and forth amongst the crew "became a bit that's in all three episodes." In any case, the actor was gifted one of the ascot/cravats once filming concluded.
When fans think of Mr. Scott, they picture a neutral socialite content to sit out the blazing action inside a secure vault, a tumbler full of whiskey not too far away. With The Continental, however, they'll get to see an entirely new side of the suave proprietor, whose road to hotel stewardship was not unlike John Wick's epic odyssey to free himself from the High Table.
"It's a story of revenge and making amends for what I think is taken from [my character], and that's my love of family," Woodell teased.
As for what the future might hold, a second season remains up in the air, though the actor isn't opposed to filling in more gaps between the end of the series and the start of the Wick franchise several decades later.
"I love Ian's embellishment [of the character], and how delicious everything is," he concluded. "To some degree, we begin to get there at the end [of The Continental] and you understand what motivates him, but I didn't really participate in that deliciousness."
When does The Continental premiere on Peacock?
Episode 1 of The Continental: From the World of John Wick hits Peacock Friday, Sep. 22. The second and third installments will debut on Sep. 29 and Oct. 6 respectively.
Want more action in the meantime? Head over to Peacock for Highlander, Waterworld, Van Helsing, Rambo, The Spirit, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Season of the Witch, R.I.P.D., Kick-Ass 2, Furious 7, The Hitman's Bodyguard's Wife, The 355, and more!
