Peacock Announces Premiere Date for “The Continental: From the World of John Wick” at San Diego Comic-Con [VIDEO]

At SDCC, Ballroom 20 was packed while fans of the John Wick franchise and convention-goers were given an exclusive first look at Peacock’s three-part event The Continental: From the World of John Wick, accompanied by a Q&A panel moderated by Steven Weintraub, Collider Editor-in-Chief. Executive producer/director Albert Hughes, executive producer Marshall Persinger, and the creative team including editor Ron Rosen, action director Larnell Stovall and production designer Drew Boughton discussed what fans can expect, and showcased sneak peak moments from the series to get the audience in Ballroom 20 excited for the new world and characters.

ON WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT TO START THE SERIES OFF WITH AN ACTION SEQUENCE:

“For the fans out there, we got you. Yes, we have longer form storytelling but if you set up something like that early with someone like Larnell (action director), you want to satiate the hardcore John Wick fans right away. Also casual fans that will come and go this is wild, what’s going on here… “

ON CREATING THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE 70S:

“I’m gonna geek out a little bit. We found these old lenses at Panavision that haven’t been used in years and have been collecting dust. And so the lenses we shot the show shot “Doctor Zhivago”, “Cool Hand Luke” and “The Graduate”. We got these very antiquated lenses because today’s lenses are a bit too sharp and along with great production design, you can playfully do subtle things to convey this time period.”

QUOTE FROM MARSHALL PERSINGER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ON BRINGING THE CONTINENTAL TO LIFE:

“The best way to make something great is to have a great script first, have a great visionary director, and then have a cast that is to be damned”

QUOTE FROM LARNELL STOVALL, ACTION DIRECTOR – ON THE INTERESTING CHARACTERS THAT WILL BE SEEN IN THE CONTINENTAL:

“Once you see them in action, there’s gonna be cosplay for years to come”

The three-part event 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 1970’s 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.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Premiere Date/Rollout: NIGHT 1 – Friday, September 22 NIGHT 2 – Friday, September 29 NIGHT 3 – Friday, October 6

Developed, Written, and Executive Produced by: Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward, Shawn Simmons

Writers: Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward, Ken Kristensen, Shawn Simmons

Executive Producers: Thunder Road Pictures’ Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Albert Hughes, Kirk Ward, Greg Coolidge, Chad Stahelski, Derek Kolstad, David Leitch, Shawn Simmons, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, and Marshall Persinger

Directors: Albert Hughes (Nights 1 & 3), Charlotte Brandstrom (Night 2)

Studio: Lionsgate

Principal Cast: Mel Gibson, Colin Woodell, Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Nhung Kate, Jessica Allain, Ayomide Adegun, Jeremy Bobb, Peter Greene