While I’m a fan of movies getting the TV show treatment, and vice-versa, I sometimes don’t see how it can work. For example, I didn’t think ‘Lethal Weapon’ could work as a TV show. How can you replace Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in their greatest roles? And how do you find enough craziness to fill and entire season? With over 20 episodes in a TV series, and the entire ‘Lethal Weapon’ movie franchise as 4 movies, clocking in at around 7hrs 45mins, I wasn’t sure. But then they go get comic legend Damon Wayans (The most wonderful of the Wayans family) and the brilliant Clayne Crawford (Who has appeared in TV’s ’24’, ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ and ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigaton’, among many others), and hire the underrated McG (‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle’ and ‘Terminator Salvation’) to produce/direct the series. And now the most perfect franchise in action cinema is a terrific hit TV show, pulling in great numbers, and carving its own path, rather than just consantly copy the original movie (Although clearly heavily inspired by it). So it can work, despite being a risk.
But now, TV studios are once more on the doorstep of a beloved action movie franchise, with plans to create a TV show which was originally thought to be based upon the early years of everyone’s new hero, John Wick. Played in two motion pictures by Keanu Reeves, John Wick is a brutal assassin, haunted by the death of his wife, who finds himself drawn back into the dark killer underworld he thought he’d left behind. The show could have focused on Wick’s pre-movie exploits, most likely featuring him as a happily married man, who moonlights as a violent trigger man. The show has very few details released so far, but what is known is that now the show will not center on John Wick, but rather the underworld he is apart of. Leading to the show’s apt new title, ‘The Continental’ (The gathering of brutal assassins who live in secret but hide in the open). Featuring a story away from Wick is disappointing, but also now loses the risk of re-casting such a new character. Thankfully it’s rumored that Keanu Reeves could appear in a cameo as his now iconic role. Here’s hoping.
‘The Continental’ has no confirmed dates of air or production, but is in the development process right now. Action A Go Go will keep you up to date with all the details as they arrive. Until then, ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ is available to buy now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download.