After four movies where we follow a long-haired Keanu Reeves as he both kicks ass and takes names, the John Wick universe will be expanding even more with the announcement of a spinoff titled The Continental, set to air through Peacock. As beloved as the John Wick franchise is, though, the series has a looming problem, which the teaser completely ignored: Mel Gibson’s role.
The show will be set about 40 years before the events of the first film, in 1970s New York City, and its prime location will be the infamous hotel for assassins that John often frequents.
The plot of The Continental will be shown through the eyes of Winston Scott (Colin Woodell), the eventual owner of the hotel and John’s friend/employer/enemy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three-part series “will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. 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 future throne.” Mel Gibson is set to play Cormac, who is billed as a main character after Winston.
Gibson’s absence from the trailer is a bit odd due to his co-starring role, but it’s not a surprise that he was probably purposely left out. Gibson is a very polarizing figure due to his past anti-semitic and racist actions. Winona Ryder said he asked her if she was an “oven dodger” when inquiring if she was Jewish, which she is. He went on a sexist and racist rant against his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, in which he referred to her looking like a “ f***ing b**** in heat” and told her “if you get raped by a pack of n***ers it will be your fault.”
And, in his most infamous scandal, Gibson went on an anti-semitic tirade after being arrested for drunk driving. During the arrest, he allegedly told the arresting officer that “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” and asked him if he was a “Jew.” Gibson does not have a stellar reputation in the public eye, so it would make sense that the show would try to hide his huge involvement in the plot until the last second. It’s too bad that same idea wasn’t part of the casting process.
As of this time, there is no set date for the show’s premiere. Peacock did announce that it’s slated to release in September 2023, but no exact date has been announced. Another trailer will probably drop before the show is released, and it’s unknown if Gibson will be shown in the second one. However, if I had to bet, I would say that the show will continue to hide his existence until it airs because they want to delay the inevitable, deserved backlash from his casting. But only time will tell.
(featured image: Peacock)
