Quickly following the announcement that Mel Gibson has joined the cast of the upcoming John Wick prequel series The Continental, Lionsgate has now announced that Colin Woodell has been hired to take on the role of Winston – who is portrayed by Ian McShane in the feature films.
Woodell most recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series The Flight Attendant, while his other TV credits include The Purge, The Originals, Masters of Sex, and Designated Survivor. On the feature film side, he starred in The Call of the Wild alongside Harrison Ford and Unfriended: Dark Web.
The series will run for three 90-minute episodes with Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli) directing the first and third episodes, however, the director of the second episode has yet to be revealed. John Wick director Chad Stahelski was originally going to direct the first episode, but he will now only executive produce alongside David Leitch, Keanu Reeves and original screenwriter Derek Kolstad.
The synopsis for The Continental reads:
The Continental will explore the origin behind the hotel-for-assassins, which increasingly has become the centerpiece of the John Wick universe. This will be accomplished through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, who is dragged into the Hell-scape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the New York’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the iconic hotel, which serves as the meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals.