The Producer of The JOHN WICK Prequel Series THE CONTINENTAL Talks About Casting Mel Gibson
A lot of fans seemed surprised when it was announced that Mel Gibson was set to star in the upcoming John Wick prequel series, The Continental. As you know, the actor comes with a lot of controversy due to his past behavior and unsavory antisemitic comments made during a DUI arrest back in 2006.
Mel Gibson has never really stopped working regardless of his past, and he’s been involved with several different kinds of projects as a director and producer. But, when he was cast in the high-profile project The Continental, there was a bit of a backlash.
During a recent interview with IGN, executive producer Basil Iwanyk addressed the casting of Gibson in the series, saying: "There just simply wasn't a consideration about it.”
Executive producer Albert Hughes stated: "I think he fit the role, he fit what we needed based on his film past. And I'll leave others to debate the other stuff because it's not a black-and-white issue, and I don't want to be sound-byted and clickbait. That's a tricky game to get into. I have my own personal beliefs in life and whatnot about everything, but I'm here to entertain. And earlier in my career I wasn't so careful. But there's a weight that he brought, the stuff that he brought from his past roles and what he has done that we needed for this role. And I don't think anybody could have fit better, let's put it that way, just with his chops and his experience."
Gibson has been keeping busy and is currently working on a sequel to The Passion of the Christ and he’s also developing another project with Mark Wahlberg for Lionsgate titled Flight Risk. He’s also been trying to get a Lethal Weapon 5 movie off the ground.
The Continental is planned as a three-episode event series, with each episode being 90 minutes long. The story for the series will be told through the eyes and actions of Winston Scott, “who is dragged into the Hell-scape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through New York’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the iconic hotel, which serves as the meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals.”
The series stars Colin Woodell as a young Winston Scott; Ayomide Adegun, who will portray a young Charon (based on Lance Reddick’s character); Peter Greene, who dons the fedora of Uncle Charlie (based on the tight-lipped body disposal expert); Gibson is playing Cormac; Ben Robson as Frankie; Hubert Point-Du Jour as Miles; Jessica Allain as Lou; Mishel Prada as KD; and Nhung Kate as Yen.
The three-part event will hit Peacock later this year, in September 2023.