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The Continental is the prequel to the John Wick franchise and has already made enough noise among fans. The show is about a chain of hotels - The Continentals, featured in the John Wick movies - which serve as a neutral ground for criminals. Anyone who breaks the rules within the hotel and attacks another goes "excommunicado,” as in with a death penalty on their back.
The Continental is set in the 1970s, when Winston Scott (Ian McShane's character) first arrives in New York City. It chronicles the story of how he becomes the all-powerful manager of the titular hotel. Mel Gibson will be seen alongside Ian McShane as Cormac O' Connor.
John Wick was initially supposed to be a stand-alone action movie, but soon became a franchise, much to the credit of Keanu Reeves’ on-screen presence and action skills. Since the very announcement of the prequel in 2017, fans have been wondering whether Keanu Reeves will make an appearance in the show. However, the chances of that happening are very slim.
Why Keanu Reeves might not make a cameo in The Continental
In 2017, when the talk of a prequel was going on, the show was going to be produced by Starz.
At the time, as per IndieWire, Carmi Zlotnik, the network president, gave a statement that fans could expect Reeves and his character in the show.
"Keanu is an executive producer, and I think you can expect to see him at some point in the series. That is part of the ongoing conversation."
However, things have changed since then, and the show was bought from Starz by Peacock. Even the setting changed from Los Angeles to New York City. The original announcement was made six years ago. In between, Keanu Reeves has aged.
The show is set 30 to 40 years prior to the events of the John Wick franchise. So, by that logic, the character of John Wick has to be a teenager and not a middle-aged assassin. Naturally, Keanu Reeves making an appearance not only seems unlikely but also absurd.
Kevin Beggs, the president of Lionsgate Television Group, told Deadline in April 2021:
“We’re way back in time, way back pre-John Wick and even pre-young John Wick, that character is not finding his way into the universe. We are in the John Wick universe, but it’s way back in time. Think about the Game of Thrones prequels before you know any of the players, but you do know the world.”
What makes John Wick movies so interesting is the excellent worldbuilding, and with more films being teased, The Continental will serve a great purpose in the future of the franchise.
However, one cannot rule out an appearance from teenage John Wick, played by some other actor, in The Continental. It is something that has kept the audience hooked to the show.
How Winston became almost a father figure to John Wick or how John Wick became the assassin might be seen in the show and is not ruled out yet by fans and critics.
Although the chances of Keanu Reeves being seen in the show are slim, he is set to appear in the spin-off, Ballerina.
The Continental will only have three episodes, two of which have already premiered on the Peacock streaming platform.
