‘The Continental’ Review: ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off Walks The Walk & Talks The Talk, But Lacks A Keanu-Like Presence

Emily Longeretta The Roku Channel is breaking out their wreaths. The streaming platform announced two new holiday projects to their lineup. “How to Fall in Love by the Holidays,” led by Teri Hatcher, follows a writer-turned-CEO who must write a column about love in time for the holidays.

Valerie Wu Intern Netflix has dropped a trailer for its animated musical comedy “Leo,” starring Adam Sandler as a 74-year-old lizard. Per the official logline, Sandler voices Leo, a class pet who discovers that he only has one year left to live. Faced with the prospect of imminent death, Leo decides to head out and explore the outside world.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Solids by the Seashore,” “The Berefts” and “House of the Seasons” were all multiple winners of the Vision Awards at the Busan International Film Festival on Thursday evening. Another winner was “Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club,” a documentary celebrating Korea’s early cinephiles, who include “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho. The Vision Awards precede the main New Currents Competition and the Jiseok Competition prizes which will be presented on Saturday at the festival’s closing ceremony.FIPRESCI Award“That Summer’s Lie” Dir. Sohn Hyun-lok.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Advertisers considering new ways to measure video audiences may finally be getting a yardstick that can actually do the job. For years, individual TV companies have been testing a number of would-be competitors to Nielsen. each offering a bespoke brew of measurement technologies that marketers and media agencies can test as they see fit.

Marta Balaga Finnish series creators are ready to laugh – also at themselves. “While cultures vary, a fish-out-of-water experience is universal,” says writer Beata Harju, behind “Lay Low and Don’t Be Fabulous” about a woman who just can’t let go of her ex.

It appears that musical talent runs in the Williams family, as revealed in the new trailer for Robbie Williams ' upcoming Netflix documentary. For decades, fans worldwide have followed the singer's remarkable journey, from his early days with Take That to his successful solo career.

Sporty Kate Middleton attended a mental fitness workshop along with Prince William and rocked her favourite designer trainers, while William opted for a rare casual look for the occasion. The royal due wore trainers to be prepared for the day ahead as they later showed off their netball skills.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been branded "hypocrites" after taking a gas-guzzling seven-car convoy around a single block to attend an event in New York City this week.

Skeletal remains have been uncovered in the search for a woman who has been missing for over six years. For the last three days, cops have been investigating the area around the former home of Tina Satchwell, who disappeared in March 2017.

Celtic youngster Jacob Donnelly has signed a pre-contract with the club ahead of penning a long-term professional deal.

The original face of the Teletubbies 'sun baby' is now officially grown up and expecting her first child, as the 25-year-old announced she is pregnant with her partner and it has made BBC viewers say they "feel old."

New research has revealed five of the "most haunted" destinations in the UK ahead of Halloween, and two Scottish spots are included.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have sent a heartfelt message regarding the ongoing Israel - Palestine war.

The SNP is expected to go into the next general election arguing that winning a “majority” of seats would be a mandate for independence.

Kyle Walker has returned to full England training after missing sessions earlier this week.

Lawrence Robb joined the cast of Emmerdale back in 2020, bursting onto the Yorkshire Dales scene as Moira Dingle's trouble making long lost brother, Mackenzie Boyd. Or Mack for short. Since his first episode, it's fair to say Mack has caused plenty of drama.

Strictly Come Dancing's Nadiya Bychkova has broken her silence after she was photographed being consoled by boyfriend Kai Widdrington after the Pride of Britain awards. The 34 year old professional dancer appeared to have broken down in tears as her 28 year old co-star boyfriend wrapped an arm around her. He was also seen clutching her hand as they drove away from the Pride of Britain awards, which was held at Grosvenor House in London on Sunday.

Manchester United offloaded a truck-load of players this summer as Erik ten Hag continued his clearout.

Police have issued an appeal after two men were stabbed when a brawl broke out following a car crash in Wigan.

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has shared an update on her "tough" and ongoing battle with breast cancer as she appeared on It Takes Two on Wednesday evening. It was professional dancer's second return to the world of Strictly since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and underwent a mastectomy in June. Speaking to host Janette Manrara, Amy gave a candid update on her journey and revealed she had "chemo again tomorrow".

Married At First Sight UK's Terence has spoken out after deciding to leave the programme early, telling his Instagram followers his experience wasn't "all fun and games" and that he "doesn't do drama". Fans of the show saw groom Terence sensationally quit on Wednesday 11 October's episode.The DJ decided that he was unable to continue his relationship with wife Porscha, following a game of Spin The Bottle. During a commitment ceremony chat with Porscha and the MAFS UK experts, Terence revealed his decision and said: "I thought it was a pride thing, I thought everyone had the upper hand and they were laughing at me.

Big Brother star Hallie's mum has praised her transgender daughter after fellow housemate Farida asked if men who fancied her would be ‘seen as gay’. Hallie's mother Samantha appeared on Big Brother spin-off show Late & Live on Tuesday, when she said her 18 year old daughter had handled the situation ‘so well’. Fans of the ITV2 reality show were left divided by 50 year old Farida’s line of questioning - with some praising her for wanting to educate herself, while others felt she was ‘saying the wrong thing’.

Ellise Shafer X Corp CEO Linda Yaccarino has responded to EU commissioner Thierry Breton’s warning about “illegal content and disinformation” spreading on the platform regarding the Israel-Hamas war. In a letter posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday morning, Yaccarino said the social media site has “taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content” that could include false information about the attacks in Israel.

We will never be able to escape the capitalistic empires who demand that we not only see one movie, but its dozens of spin-offs as well. Yet out of all the big-budget franchises we’ve seen over the past two decades, John Wick managed to set itself apart.The action gun-fu film series started small in scope, with its 2014 eponymous film starring Keanu Reeves simply wanting revenge for his murdered dog growing into a blockbuster series, each bigger than the last, making it one of the rare original success stories not based on a comic book.Thus, we find ourselves at Peacock, for The Continental: From the World of John Wick (★☆☆☆☆), the prequel from Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward, and Shawn Simmons about Winston Scott’s rise to power in the 1970s.

As there’s positive vibes (knock on wood) coming out the AMPTP and WGA talks at the time of this post, there’s some interesting maneuvers on the theatrical release calendar. Specifically, more films keep getting added to the calendar.

Jordan Moreau The “John Wick” movies are known for their high-octane, guns-blazing action on the big screen, but now the franchise is heading to Peacock — and about 50 years in the past — to explore its origins in “The Continental.” Across three episodes, the ’70s-set series dives into how a young Winston Scott (played by Colin Woodell) became the proprietor of the titular hotel, which is famous for throwing lavish parties and being a safe haven for assassins. But, as “John Wick” fans know, not everybody abides by the no-killing rule on Continental grounds. The show, which premieres on Peacock Friday, starts with a bang — actually, a lot of them — thanks to stunt coordinator Larnell Stovall.

Sequels, and sequels of sequels, have trouble differentiating themselves from their brethren from time to time. But Expendables 4 (or Expend4bles, as this fourth and final entry in the mercenary-based action series has been marketed), indisputably takes the cake for recycling previously used material in a not exactly fresh context. At least the final third — and maybe more — of this jokey, fight-filled and increasingly effects-driven last hurrah is nearly a twin brother to the climactic stretch of last year’s waterlogged Jason Statham extravaganza Meg 2: The Trench, wherein the rugged Brit takes on — and once again prevails over — a sea monster that makes Moby Dick look like a backyard swimming pool pet. It really is a shameless “borrowing” that’s impossible to ignore if you’ve seen Meg 2, as the tireless former male model with perfectly maintained facial stubble once again earns his status as master of the seven seas.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic In “Expend4bles,” the action is more digitally propulsive than it was in “The Expendables” (2010), “The Expendables 2” (2012), or “The Expendables 3” (2014). Yet the preferred mode of killing is reassuringly primitive.

The Continental marks the first spin-off in the John Wick franchise.Led by showrunners Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward, the three-part series is a prequel spin-off revolved around a young Winston Scott (Colin Woodell), who was played by Ian McShane in the mainline John Wick films.Alongside Woodell, the show’s cast includes Mel Gibson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, Peter Greene and Nhung Kate.The Continental follows the story of Winston Scott and his journey to becoming the proprietor of the New York branch of the Continental hotel chain, which acts as a safe haven for assassins.The show is a prequel to John Wick set in an alternate history depiction of the 1970s, offering different spins on real-world events including the rise of the American Mafia.A synopsis reads: “The series will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins from the John Wick universe through the eyes of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hellscape 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 throne.”Along with a younger version of Scott, the show features a younger version of Charon (Ayomide Adegun), who was portrayed by the late Lance Reddick in the films.The first spin-off film, titled Ballerina, is scheduled to be released on June 7, 2024.Ana de Armas will play the lead character Rooney, a ballerina who seeks revenge on those who murdered her family.

If you haven’t seen “John Wick: Chapter 4,” then you should probably skip this article. Long story short, there’s still no decision about whether or not a fifth film is being made.

Alison Herman TV Critic I’ll give “The Continental” this: of all the reasons the “John Wick” prequel frustrates, underwhelms and disappoints, the involvement of Mel Gibson barely manages to rank. That, at least, is a major accomplishment.

Keanu Reeves’ master assassin may have been left for almost dead at the end of the fourth John Wick film, but things are still alive and kicking in the franchise, at least retroactively.

Reeves wanted to be ‘definitively killed off’ in the fourth movie, which debuted at the box office in March and ranked in a whopping $187.1 million domestically and $426.5 million worldwide.“John Wick: Chapter 4” marked the biggest success for the franchise — even with a reported $100 million budget. And — gasp — the film also included the biggest shocker of all when the title character seemingly died in the end.Despite Winston (Ian McShane) and The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburn) visiting John’s grave in the film, Iwanyk is still holding out hope that Reeves will reprise the role again.There’s a “10 percent little opening” that he would, he told Collider.“After the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movie, making these films is so exhausting and it destroys Keanu, physically and emotionally,” he continued.

Peacock in the U.S. and Prime Video internationally), tells the story of Winston Scott, who was played by Ian McShane in the movies and by Colin Woodell as a young man “The Continental.”“I was always a fan of the ‘John Wick’ movies, and what [the movie’s director, Chad [Stahelski] and [star Keanu Reeves] did,” director and executive producer Albert Hughes told The Post.

Warning: Spoilers aheadKeanu Reeves reportedly asked for the titular character of the John Wick franchise to be “definitively” killed off at the end of Chapter 4, released earlier this year.Speaking to Collider for a new interview, John Wick: Chapter 4 producer Basil Iwanyk revealed that Reeves had requested for John Wick to be undeniably dead by the fourth film’s conclusion as he was experiencing fatigue from filming.“After the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movie, making these films is so exhausting and it destroys Keanu, physically and emotionally,” said Iwanyk. “By the end, he’s always like, ‘I can’t do this again,’ and we agree with him”.Iwanyk went on to explain: “The guy is just a shell of himself because he just goes off and goes for it.

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains details about the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4.