Mel Gibson has been cast in the John Wick spinoff John Wick: The Continental, according to Deadline. There are no details surrounding Gibson’s role other than he will be playing a character named Cormac.
The prequel series explores the origin of the signature hotel for assassins at the heart of the criminal underworld in the trilogy. Winston Scott, played by Ian McShane in the films, will be the series’ protagonist. It has not been announced who will be playing Scott, as McShane has already said he would not be in the show except for voice work.
Ian McShane as Winston Scott in ‘John Wick.’ Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Gibson has been a controversial figure in Hollywood for decades, dating back to homophobic remarks he made in an interview with a Spanish newspaper in the early 1990s. After being arrested for a DUI in 2006, he made anti-Semitic remarks towards the arresting officers and then verbally assaulted his then partner Oksana Grigorieva in 2010 in a phone recording that was leaked to the press.
Gibson has been a steady presence in the filmmaking world despite his legal troubles. He has acted in a film every year from 2010-2020 except for 2015. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director with his 2015 war drama Hacksaw Ridge. His appearance on The Continental marks his first turn on television since his appearance on the short-lived ABC sitcom Complete Savages in 2004.
The Continental will be presented as a three-night special-event TV series, produced for Starz by Lionsgate Television.
