This article is part of a directory: Comic-Con 2023: ScreenRant's Complete Guide - Every Reveal From SDCC

Summary

  • Mel Gibson s the cast of "The Continental" as Cormac, a villainous criminal kingpin who manages The Continental Hotel in New York City.
  • Cormac is a complex character who serves as both a mentor and tormentor to Winston and Charon, but they eventually see his true colors.
  • Gibson's controversial past has raised concerns about his casting, but the producer of "The Continental" has defended the decision and made no comments about Gibson's controversies.

The Continental: From the World of John Wick cast Mel Gibson as Cormac, and here’s who his character is in this John Wick prequel. The universe of John Wick is expanding beyond the big screen with the prequel miniseries The Continental, which will take the audience to the title hotel that they have come to know well through the John Wick films. The Continental is scheduled for a September 22, 2023 release on Peacock, and it’s one of the few TV shows that were presented at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, where release dates for all episodes were announced and footage was shown.

The Continental will take the audience to an alternate history 1970s to tell the story of The Continental footage shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 gave a better idea of what to expect from Cormac in The Continental, who is now ing John Wick’s list of villains.

Mel Gibson's Cormac Is A Villain In The Continental

Mel Gibson as Cormac leaning over a chair in The Continental.

As an extension of the John Wick movies, The Continental is expected to be packed with action and drama, and Mel Gibson’s Cormac will be key to all that as he’s a villain. Cormac is a ruthless criminal kingpin who manages The Continental Hotel in New York City, and he has a history with Winston and his brother Frankie Scott (Ben Robson). In the above-mentioned footage exclusively shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Gibson’s Cormac makes some brief appearances.

According to descriptions of said footage, Cormac is shown talking to Winston about what Frankie took from a vault (in a scene shown at the beginning), with Winston telling him he’s the bait, and that Frankie doesn’t care about him. Cormac then threatens Winston, and Charon (Ayomide Adegun), who works for Cormac, shows Winston the elevator, with Cormac then sending his goons after Winston.

Everything Revealed About Mel Gibson's Character In The John Wick Prequel

Colin Woodell as Winston Scott in The Continental.

Though Cormac’s role in The Continental is still unknown, some details have already been revealed about this new villain. As mentioned above, Cormac is involved with the mob, which along with his position of power in The Continental Hotel makes him a real threat. In an interview with Movieweb, Mel Gibson described Cormac as a complex character, a “mentor or tormentor” to Winston and Charon, and a “nefarious character who’s like a father figure to them”, but as they grew up, they saw his true colors. Gibson added that Cormac is selfish in his own motives and “has used them in an ill way”. Cormac has also been described as “an intimidating force, ruthless, brutal, yet capable of charm”, which is fitting with the villains and overall style and tone of the John Wick universe.

However, Gibson’s casting was actually quite controversial. Gibson has a controversial past, beginning (publicly, at least) in 2006 when he was arrested for a DUI. Gibson unleashed an anti-Semitic rant during the arrest that was caught on video and made public. Years later, Gibson said it was “an unfortunate incident”, but that hasn’t been his only controversy. In 2010, he yelled racial slurs at his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, and audio recordings of threats of physical violence and more against her were released. In 2020, Winona Ryder reiterated past claims of homophobic and anti-Semitic comments Gibson made toward a friend of hers at a party in the 1990s. The Continental producer defended Gibson's casting and made no comments about his past controversies.

Despite all this, Gibson’s career hasn’t really stopped, but the audience’s response to him and his works has definitely changed after the above incidents and more. It’s to be seen how critics and viewers will react to Mel Gibson’s performance in The Continental and to the character itself, who is already an important part of the John Wick universe due to his connection to the hotel.

Source: MovieWeb.