John Wick spinoff series gets a director – and a reported $60m budget

Yeah, I'm thinking the John Wick spinoff series is back on track.

The Continental, a project that has been in the works for some time now, has transformed into a three-part limited series event with a budget that reportedly tops both John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Book of Eli co-director Albert Hughes has signed on to direct the first and third episodes of The Continental – which will run on Starz across three days. The second episode is yet to find a director.

Intriguingly, each episode is described as being "movie length with movie budgets." Sources close to THR have that pinned as 90-minute instalments with budgets of $20 million each for a grand total of up to $60 million.

By comparison, that's larger than the budgets for John Wick (thought to be $30 million) and John Wick 2 ($40 million). It even dwarves some of this year's biggest mid-tier releases, including Nobody ($16m) and The Conjuring 3 ($39 million).

Keanu Reeves' eponymous hitman won't be in The Continental, despite its bigger budget. The spinoff series is a prequel set 40 years before the event of the movies and will be centred around the character of Winston, played in the mainline series by Ian McShane.

"What we're exploring in The Continental is the young Winston and how it came to be that he and his team of confederates found their way into this hotel which we have met for the first time in the movie franchise 40 years later," Lionsgate Television chairman Kevin Beggs told Deadline of the '70s-set series.

John Wick 4, meanwhile, is currently filming – and is packed with a seriously impressive cast. Ian McShane and Lance Reddick are returning alongside Keanu Reeves, while the likes of Bill Skarsgard, Donnie Yen, and Army of the Dead actor Hiroyuki Sanada are all set to feature.

The Continental doesn't have a release date yet, though John Wick 4 is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2022 after being delayed from its one-time 2021 slot.

Find out what's coming to cinemas in the rest of 2021 with our movie release dates guide.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.