“I was happy he said it”: The Continental Director Reveals Chad Stahelski’s One Advice for His John Wick Spin-Off to Succeed Without Keanu Reeves
The John Wick franchise has seen immense success. The movies primarily focus on John Wick played by Hollywood heartthrob Keanu Reeves.
In the latest installment of the franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves’s character was killed off. It makes it a bit difficult for the story to continue when the main character is dead. But somehow, the makers of John Wick pulled it off. A prequel miniseries, The Continental: From the World of John Wick, is now a new entry in the franchise.
However, as the miniseries director Albert Hughes revealed, if it weren’t for Chad Stahelski’s advice, The Continental would not have become what it has.
Chad Stahelski’s Advice for John Wick Spin-off
The Continental follows Winston Scott’s origin story in 70s New York City. It shows Scott as a young hotel proprietor who seizes the Continental Hotel, which becomes a safe haven for assassins. As the title suggests the show is set in a similar universe as the John Wick films; but has the hotel and its inhabitants at its center.
The premise is certainly exciting and makes for a killer plot. The credit for this largely goes to director Albert Hughes. As producer Erica Lee told The Hollywood Reporter:
“We were really lucky with Albert at the helm. He has a very distinctive vision and also came in as a fan of the movies and loves certain aspects of it, but also wanted to push certain thematics and things his own way.”
While Hughes is accredited for what the miniseries has come to be, the director hasn’t failed to mention the one advice he received from the director of the John Wick movies, Chad Stahelski. As he told The Hollywood Reporter:
“We did a Zoom and he was excited to talk and tell me [to] basically do what you need to do that inspires you. I was happy he said it.”
Taking on a project, a world that was developed from Stahelski’s vision, must have been a huge responsibility for Hughes. Hence, Stahelski’s advice gave Hughes the freedom to be as creative as he possibly could. The director was happy that he was asked to do his own thing. And from what it seems, he has done it quite well.
The Continental Gives the Centre Stage to the Behind-the-Scenes Crew
While the strikes go on, the studios are forced to get creative with promotion. There is but a silver lining to these dark times. The behind-the-scenes talent gets a chance to take center stage.
A week before the show’s premiere, influencers and reporters were invited to The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, to see the assassin training and how things exactly look behind the camera. From sound, stunts, production, and costume design, everything was on display.
Larnell Stovall, the action director for the series had briefed some volunteers from the audience on stunt sequences on the live set. He told The Hollywood Reporter afterwards:
“We don’t normally get interviewed. We get a shout-out from the actors maybe every now and then… but that’s what we signed up for.”
Costume designer Sarah Arthur echoed Stovall’s statements. The promotional event sounds like a really wholesome place to be.
The Continental: From the World of John Wick, will premiere on Peacock this Friday.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter:
