Over the course of the four movies so far, Ian McShane’s Winston has been a dignified, calm, and composed presence at the forefront of New York City’s titular hotel from assassins. However, it sounds as though his canonical predecessor Mel Gibson is going much bigger in prequel series The Continental: From the World of John Wick.
The first teaser trailer recently debuted and the two-time Academy Award winner was noticeable by his absence, even though his character Cormac is the one running things story-wise before Colin Woodell’s young Winston steps up to the plate in 1970s New York. Even then, it was clear that Gibson’s mere involvement was enough to put people off, but director Albert Hughes has nonetheless teased what to expect from the controversial star in an interview with Deadline.
“The showrunner Kirk Ward and I talked in detail about it. Kirk is a massive action movie fan, and his references are 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, The Warriors, stuff like that. With Mel, Kirk and I decided he should be a little shabby on the edges. His organization skills aren’t as tight as Winston’s are later on. It feels a little cheap. Then I started coming up with my own motivations for the character, that was a cross between Joel Silver and Donald Trump.
I would tell Mel little things along the way, but what I really told him was, go big. Chew up the scenery if you want. John Wick films do that. He was like, oh, really? Really? I can do that [laughs]. He’s done such grand parts in the past that are very explosive, but he’s highly intelligent and he does these little minute brush strokes. By the end, it was exactly what I wanted it to be, and he did it in this very deliberate and artistic way.”
If you weren’t keen on the prospect of The Continental based entirely on Gibson being a part of it, then hearing he’s going to be channeling Donald Trump isn’t going to sway your opinion in the slightest. It sounds fascinating to see the least for better or worse, but it might not be enough to convince the doubters that the world of John Wick is one worth returning to when Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski are involved.