John Wick: The Continental - What To Expect From Colin Woodell's Winston
"The Continental: From the World of John Wick" has its sights set on the 1970s, exploring an assassin-filled world as Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) comes into ownership of New York's The Continental hotel. The Peacock show is a precursor to the beloved "John Wick" film series, giving audiences an origin story for Winston, with Woodell portraying a younger version of Ian McShane's fan-favorite character.
In an interview with Empire, conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Woodell spoke on the differences between his Winston and McShane's, saying the character's younger incarnation won't have the charismatic showmanship that "John Wick" fans are used to seeing from The Continental's owner. "I love Ian's embellishment [of the character], and how delicious everything is," Woodell said. "To some degree we begin to get there at the end [of 'The Continental'] and you understand what motivates him, but I didn't get to really participate in that deliciousness."
As for the story, it sounds like "The Continental" will continue the trend of the franchise, with Winston set on a path of revenge, fighting through his losses much like John Wick (Keanu Reeves) will do decades later. Woodell teases that this version of Winston is dealing with the loss of his family, seeking revenge against those who took his love from him, eventually leading him to the infamous hotel.
The Continental rests on Winston's shoulders
While Colin Woodell's Winston Scott is front and center in "The Continental: From the World of John Wick," the production had a difficult time tackling the daunting task of being the first "John Wick" spin-off without the titular assassin. In an interview with IGN, executive producer Basil Iwanyk reflected on their long creative process, which included ideas like leaving New York behind and shifting focus to another Continental in a different city before landing on Winston as the lead. However, after remembering one of Winston's lines in "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" where the character mentions being a "beacon of order and stability" in the assassin industry for 40 years, they knew his story would be the focus of "The Continental."
Bringing a younger version of the fan-favorite character to life was a similarly daunting task for Woodell, who used Ian McShane's performance as the basis for his take on the character while still making Winston his own. In the same interview with IGN, the actor reflected on the present day Winston in the movies, who is always so comfortable, exuding this lackadaisical aura of confidence even when he's in the middle of a gun-filled battlefield. As Woodall describes the character, "This guy doesn't really give a s**t." He continued, saying, "Trying to match that is very intimidating, but I also think it was a great template for me."
Director Albert Hughes also commented on Woodall playing a new version of an already established character, saying he and Ayomide Adegun, who plays the younger version of the late Lance Reddick's Charon, did plenty of exploration into their characters, honoring those who came before while making the roles their own.