A television spin-off of the John Wick film franchise is in the works, according to reports. Titled The Continental, the series will be set in the John Wick universe, and focuses on the Continental Hotel, which serves as a refuge for assassins.
The John Wick films chronicle the story of a retired hitman seeking vengeance and feature Keanu Reeves as the eponymous antihero. In John Wick (2014), he destroys a Russian gang after the theft of his vintage car and the killing of his puppy. In John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), the hitman is forced to go on the run after a bounty is placed on his head. Produced by Lionsgate, the film franchise has earned nearly $300 million worldwide. The third film in the series is scheduled to be released in May 2019.
The television spin-off will be produced by Starz, with Chris Collins as the director and showrunner. Keanu Reeves will not star in the series, but will reportedly make an appearance. The premiere of The Continental will be directed by Chad Stahelski, who helmed the first two films and is set to return for the third.
“The Continental promises to include the thunderous fight sequences and intensely staged shootouts between professional assassins and their targets that fans have come to expect in the John Wick movie franchise as well as introduce some new, darkly compelling characters who inhabit this underground world,” Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement.