John Wick prequel TV show casts younger version of Ian McShane's character

Ian McShane in John Wick
(Image credit: Lionsgate)

The Continental, the upcoming John Wick prequel series, has rounded out its cast – including casting its lead actor.

Colin Woodell will play a younger version of Winston Scott, who's portrayed by Ian McShane in the John Wick movies. The three-part Starz series will center around the origins of the titular hotel where assassins from around the world come to meet. The Continental has become pivotal to the John Wick franchise, and the series will follow a young Winston Scott in the mid-'70s.

Woodell most recently starred in the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant alongside Kaley Cuoco and Rosie Perez. He's also appeared in shows like The Purge, Designated Survivor, and Masters of Sex. 

Hubert Point-Du Jour (The Good Lord Bird), Jessica Allain (The Laundromat), Mishel Prada (Riverdale), Nhung Kate (The Housemaid), and Ben Robson (Vikings) have also been added to the cast, joining Mel Gibson, who will play a character named Cormac.

Meanwhile, John Wick: Chapter 4 is currently filming and will see Keanu Reeves return in the lead role as the titular assassin, alongside McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, and Rina Sawayama. Franchise screenwriter Derek Kolstad and director Chad Stahelski are also back for the fourth installment, as well as executive producing The Continental. Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward are on board as showrunners.

The Continental doesn't have a release date yet, but John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to hit the big screen on May 27, 2022. In the meantime, check out our list of the best Netflix shows that you can stream right now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.