The new series and John Wick spin-off The Continental is set to hit screens later this month on Peacock and Amazon Prime for international viewers. The first expansion of the John Wick franchise beyond its titular character, the series is set at the Continental Hotel, a gathering place for fellow members of the criminal world to meet on non-violent grounds. While resembling an everyday hotel, the location is where hitmen, assassins, and other members of this secret society put down their weapons and break bread with one another – or at least, it’s supposed to be.
The new show is a prequel series following a young Winston Scott (played by Ian McShane in the John Wick movies, now played by Colin Woodell) in his early years in the organization. The series covers many real-world events, such as the rise of the Mafia in New York City, offering a sort of historical fiction element to the cinematic universe.
When is ‘The Continental’ Set?
According to the official description on IMDb, The Continental is set in “the hell-scape of 1970’s New York City,” and Winston “charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his throne.”
In sum, the new show chronicles the origins of the modern Continental Hotel, as it is presented to viewers in the John Wick films by 2014. The series will likely showcase the hotel’s dynamic before and after Winston takes the reins. As well as Winston, The Continental features a younger version of Charon, the hotel concierge, portrayed in the John Wick movies by the late Lance Reddick.
Before you say, “Wait, is Charon even old enough to work at the Continental for forty to fifty years?” remember that the timeline of the John Wick movies is extremely short. While the first film debuted back in 2014, almost ten years ago, two producers of the franchise, Erica Lee and Basil Iwanyk, have stated that the first three movies take place over “two or three weeks” and that John Wick 4 is about “eight months later,” meaning that it’s probably around 2014 in John Wick’s world – or 2015 at most.
This means that the new series is only around 30-40ish years before its canonical time, rather than closer to fifty. Although John Wick himself is not a part of the series, he was likely a teenager or in his twenties during this period, meaning that a younger version of the character could appear at some point as a young assassin making his way through the ranks. However, it would be highly likely for the character to be played by Keanu Reeves unless they did some kind of Book of Boba Fett-style CGI that would de-age the actor.