Small Details You Missed In The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Trailer
Ahead of its action-packed premiere, Peacock recently debuted the first trailer for "The Continental: From The World Of John Wick." The three-episode miniseries takes place roughly 40 years before the John Wick films and covers a three-month timeline.
Leading "The Continental" mini-series is Colin Woodell as Winston Scott. Fans familiar with the franchise will recognize Woodell as a significantly younger version of the character normally played by Ian McShane. In the first "John Wick" film, Winston is the proprietor of the Continental Hotel in New York City, which serves as a pivotal location in each "John Wick" entry moving forward. Peacock's Continental spin-off series will ultimately reveal how Winston becomes in charge of the place. Between a large cast of new characters surrounding Winston and a few callbacks to prior John Wick films, this initial trailer is full of small details that shed more light than what's initially apparent on Winston's Continental journey.
Though we know one thing for certain: Expect guns, lots of guns.
How the '70s hotel might differ from the future
The "John Wick" universe might be full of death and mayhem, but there are rules for its trigger-happy, sword-wielding occupants. For example, blood must never be spilled on Continental grounds — unless one wants to be made excommunicado and hunted by the deadliest assassins for the rest of their lives. We've already seen what Mr. Wick (Keanu Reeves) had to go through when he broke the rules, and he's friendly with the owners. So, you can imagine how difficult it's going to be for people who openly go to war with the establishment.
"The Continental: From the World of John Wick" trailer shows the hotel under attack: Everyone from ninjas to creepy masked-wearing assassins show up for the battle. Clearly, these killers are rebels who don't care about the rules. But who are these people? What's their agenda? Is the '70s version of the Continental prone to attracting rogue assassins? Or is this an unfortunate one-off? Did what happened in the '70s with Winston's team lead to the "no blood spilled on Continental's grounds" rule? The future version of the Continental experiences its fair share of troubles, sure, but most people obey the rules. John was an anomaly. In the '70s, though, The Continental looks to be seeing plenty of glorious carnage.
Winston doesn't run the Continental... yet
Okay, let's talk about the elephant in the room (or in "The Continental," as it were): Mel Gibson stars as Cormac in the Peacock series. From the looks of things, he's going to be playing a pretty major role — seemingly the head of The Continental. His presence on screen is going to carry a lot of dark weight for many audience members who still remember Gibson's controversial past – involving antisemitic and homophobic slurs and claims of misconduct.
That being said, Gibson's Cormac appears to be the show's central antagonist. From the way the first minute of the trailer is edited, it looks like Cormac is responsible for dragging Winston back underneath the High Table's world of rules, orders, and harsh judgment. But if Cormac serves as the New York Continental Hotel Manager at the start of the series, it almost certainly means Winston will unseat him before the last bullet lands.
A young Charon works at the '70s-era Continental
While we learned in this trailer that Winston was not the manager of the New York Continental during the 1970s, we now know that his loyal friend and partner, Charon — played by the late Lance Reddick in the prior "John Wick" films — held some position within the storied establishment in that era. Charon's younger counterpart will be played by Nigerian-English actor Ayomide Adegun, who is also set to star soon in "The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."
However, Charon does not seem to be the New York Continental's concierge yet. Per the series' IMDb, that position will be taken by Irish musician and actor Sallay Garnett (also known by her stage name Loah). While we don't get a great shot of her as a concierge in the trailer, we briefly see her with a guest presenting a coin to her at the front desk.
As for Charon's position, it's hard to say what it is. He seems to be serving as more of a bodyguard for Cormac — presumably dragging Winston out of the building by force. Also, that role would explain why the character shows such combat ease in "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum."
Winston has a brother we never knew about
While the first trailer for "The Continental" focused primarily on reassuring "John Wick" fans that the style, tone, and action they've come to expect will be present in the franchise's first spin-off series, this trailer finally gives us a clearer understanding of what the plot will be. Winston — oozing with a similar droll charm that Ian McShane brought to the role — spends the night with a woman seemingly outside of the table. (This is rather extraordinary, as it can't be overstated how rare it is for a John Wick character to have relationships outside their criminal underworld.)
However, the key takeaway is that Winston has a family member we've never met before. (Why we never hear about him in the John Wick films might point to a doomed fate for the character, though it's too soon to tell based on a trailer alone.) We also learn that Winston appears to be outside the Table — at least, until his brother, Frankie (Ben Robson), ropes him into something. Though there will likely be more twists to the plot, it's reasonable to theorize that Winston will start this journey trying to save his brother from The High Table's penal (and killer) ways — not unlike the same ways he's been shown to protect John Wick throughout four prior films.
A betrayal is afoot... and justice needs to be served
As Cormac teases in the trailer, Winston's brother Frankie stole an unnamed, important item from the hotel. Cormac threatens bad things happening to Winston and his brother if he's unable to track down Frankie and return the stolen item. However, later footage shows an all-out attack against the Continental with Winston seemingly in charge of it.
When Frankie debuts in the trailer, he warns Winston to stay away from him. In response, Winston affirms that they're brothers. But soon they plot how they can strike first against the Continental. Later, through voiceover, Winston says, "This is more than vengeance. This is justice," implying that there's more to the conflict over whatever Frankie stole than simply returning a missing object. Someone must have double-crossed someone here, but the question is: Who?
Fitting for the John Wick universe, the plot of "The Continental" hinges on a betrayal. On the surface, it appears Winston betrays Cormac by not following his order to apprehend Frankie. The "justice" line, however, suggests that Frankie's actions might be justified — hence Winston joining the fight against the Continental on his brother's side rather than following Cormac's orders.
An iconic location from John Wick 3 makes a return
Of course, it comes as no surprise that we're going to be wandering through some familiar spots in "The Continental." Besides Cormac's office being what will become Winston's in "John Wick 4," there's also a flicker of noticeable spot atop The Continental. The landmark in the Wick world is a bittersweet spot where Winston and Keanu Reeves have had many curt (and dangerous) conversations about the High Table. And, it looks to be the battleground for two of the show's most ferocious fighters who may also share a combative history!
Winston's voiceover says: "This is more than vengeance, this is justice." The trailer pans to Yen (Nhung Kate) and Gretel (Marina Mazepa) fighting what's likely a battle to the death. Who knows what their little bicker is over, but given that Gretel is the sister of wildly-trimmed brother Hansel (Mark Musashi) seen earlier in the teaser, there's a chance she may want blood for blood after losing her sibling. Honestly, why can't all these cold-blooded assassins just get along? Maybe it's another clue that the Continental isn't consecrated ground, after all... at least, not yet.
The Adjudicator's coin signifies the High Table's involvement
At the 2:24 mark in this first "Continental" trailer, a coin hits the ground in a close-up shot. Diehard fans of the "John Wick" franchise will recognize it as the Adjudicator's coin. This is notably a different object than the gold coins that likewise play a pivotal role in the franchise and appear earlier on in the trailer — whereas a gold coin is good for a favor from another member of the secret assassin underworld, the Adjudicator's coin is a calling card of sorts of the Adjudicator, who holds an important position at the High Table.
The first time the Adjudicator appears in the John Wick franchise is in "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" to penalize Winston for breaking the rules of his position and aiding John Wick (Keanu Reeves). Throughout the film, the Adjudicator represents the interests of the High Table as a pivotal member. Implicitly, then, Cormac is not the highest-ranking criminal in "The Continental," and will have to deal at some point with those who hold authority over him. But if that means he's in trouble with the High Table or the Adjudicator and how that involves Winston and his brother is still unclear.
A deeper look at the Adjudicator
When it was announced that Katie McGrath ("Supergirl") would play a role called The Adjudicator in the John Wick spin-off series, some assumed she'd be playing the same character played by Asia Kate Dillon in "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum." But after gaining a deeper look at McGrath in the trailer, that seems unlikely.
Aside from the fact that the two Adjudicators are different genders (McGrath's seems to identify as female, while Dillon's character is canonically non-binary), this new iteration wears a unique faceplate that differentiates her from any member of the High Table we've met in the franchise so far. What's more, McGrath's Adjudicator also appears to have a more combative story function than Dillon's did in the third John Wick film. Where they were the distant bureaucrat with assassins doing their dirty work, McGrath's character looks to be taking (and giving) plenty of punches.
John's car has a small cameo
The opening scenes of "The Continental" trailer show a mysterious 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, which will be a familiar sight to fans of this beloved action franchise. The car belongs to John Wick (Keanu Reeves) in the movies, but he won't be behind the wheel for this outing. However, the Peacock series might explain why it's so important to everyone's favorite dog-loving mass murderer.
In the first "John Wick," the titular killer politely tells a group of thugs that his vehicle isn't for sale. This suggests that the car is more than just a method of transportation for him. Later, when the baddies steal it, Aurelio (John Leguizamo) becomes horrified to learn that they had the nerve to do that and kill his dog. People who know Wick seem to know that his car is important to him, and that's probably because of its presumed original owner.
Later in the "Continental" trailer, we see Winston and his brother going for a ride in the muscle car. Winston is arguably John's closest friend in the world, and four movies have proven that they have each other's backs. But it remains to be seen how John ends up getting this car down the line.
Matrix's iconic line gets dropped
While the world of "John Wick" might be one where actions speak louder than words, there are a handful of phrases that hit their mark just as hard as our pistol-packing protagonist. One of the signature statements that has always stood out for Baba Yaga's back catalog is one that didn't originate from him. In "John Wick: Chapter 3," Winston asks his most troubled guest what he needs. He replies: "Guns. Lots of guns." Of course, it's a great callback to Reeves' other equally iconic character, Neo, who said the same line in 1999's "The Matrix."
Well, now it's a case of history repeating itself as "The Continental" teaser sees Winston dragging Yen to an unmarked doorstep to make the very same request. The only question is what for? And, equally vital, what will the ramifications be? While the preview suggests Winston has always been the dapper gentleman with a love for cravats, this might be one of the rare instances where he got his hands dirty, going hell for leather on an establishment that would eventually become his. Again, this would help us understand why Winston bent or sneakily broke rules when needed to protect John in the years to come. Maybe he saw a bit of himself in the Baba Yaga, and the outcome, as we know, worked hugely in his favor.
Full-circle quote moment from Winston
In the collection of super cool lines from the "John Wick" franchise, a notable one is Ian McShane's super smooth utterance of: "And away we go." The line arrived in "John Wick: Chapter 3," when the $14 million bounty on John's head becomes implemented. This quote in the trailer is a great little nod to McShane's beloved character. Woodell delivers it brilliantly and this line is a great tease for getting fans hyped — as it's most likely uttered during the calm before the show's impending storm.
While we know the line works as a "get hype" line, it could fit just right at a point fans might not expect. Yes, there's every chance that the line heard over Winston standing in silence is during an epic moment in the three-part show. But it would be just as fitting to be the audible bow to stick on the end of this eagerly-anticipated prequel story. The final shot of the teaser shows Winston in his signature attire with a glass in hand. Could this be a celebratory drink from a job well done? If so, an "away we go" line could work just as well as an ending note.
We'll just have to wait and see when the series debuts on September 22 on Peacock.