The Continental director Albert Hughes, who helms two of the show's three episodes, explains how the action featured in the John Wick spinoff series differs from the mainline movies. Serving as a prequel to the successful John Wick film franchise, The Continental chronicles the origins Winston's origins at the eponymous hotel in 1970s New York City. The series stars Colin Woodell as a younger Winston, with Mel Gibson playing Cormac, the hotel's acting manager.
Ahead of The Continental's release date this fall, Hughes shares more details about the John Wick spinoff show in a recent interview with Deadline. According to the director, the show will feature direct nods to the franchise's signature style of action, but there will be some differences as well. Check out Hughes' full comment below:
“Yeah, you have to give it to them, you have to do the fan service, you know? What is great is that Chad Stahelski and David Leitch have this company 87Eleven, and it’s a think tank on how to do these sequences. They do this stunt vis, as they call it, bring it to you and you make adjustments. But it’s all that same DNA.
"The difference between a TV series and the movies is you have two hours plus to tell one story, but in television, which felt refreshing to me, you have a longer story arc and more characters. But you can’t just go wall to wall John Wick style. Also, not everybody’s John Wick, he’s a singular character.
"So what kind of fighting styles do all these people have? This one’s into guns, this one, karate. This one has a kung fu style. They’re very much different but of the same world and it is really crucial we service the fans. Early on, there’s an opening sequence that is Kirk and I nodding to the fans, don’t worry, we got you. And we weave it in, throughout.”
The Continental's Differences From John Wick Are A Good Thing
Although John Wick draws heavily from Asian action cinema when it comes to its balletic, jaw-dropping, and relentless action sequences, the franchise is also presenting fight sequences in a way that is wholly unique. Director Chad Stahelski and the creative team behind the film have essentially invented "gun-fu," an entirely new style of action that's never been done before, at least not at this level. It's for the best, then, that The Continental will feature some differences in this regard.
If The Continental attempted to just imitate what the movies do, it likely wouldn't succeed. Not only is the combined power of Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves essential to making John Wick's action work, but the movies are also working with much larger budgets. It's not clear exactly what The Continental's budget is, but it's basically a given that the show won't have had as much time or money to execute the type of sequences that John Wick has become famous for.
Instead, The Continental can present action that's perhaps a different flavor of a familiar style. The grittier 1970s New York setting would lend itself well to a less refined and more brutal form of combat. Not only that, but Hughes also points out that Wick's own fighting style and enhanced abilities are unique to him as a character, meaning it wouldn't make sense if everyone else also fought like that. It remains to be seen how The Continental will stack up against the John Wick movies, but the show evidently needs to deliver when it comes to action.
Source: Deadline