The Continental - From the World of John Wick: When and where to watch period crime drama

Almost five years after it was first announced, the first John Wick spin-off is finally coming to screens. A three-part mini series set in the world of assassins, albeit in the New York of the 1970s is coming to OTT this week. The Continental: From the World Of John Wick will premiere the first of the three 90-minute episodes on Amazon Prime Video on September 22. Developed by Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward and Shawn Simmons, The Continental serves as a prequel to the John Wick movie franchise, with the focus firmly on Winston Scott, who runs the New York Chapter of The Continental chain of hotels, which serve as safe haven for assassins, provided no business is run while on the premises.

Colin Woodell plays a young Winston, a character famously portrayed by Ian McShane in the movies. He will be joined by Ayomide Adegun as Charon, who goes on to become the concierge of the New York Continental. According to the official synopsis of the show, the three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centrepiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.

Read: John Wick Chapter 4 review: Keanu Reeves powers through 'mass-produced' assassins in quest for freedom

Getting to this throne is not going to be cakewalk for Winston, though, what with the hotel under the control of Cormac, played by veteran actor-filmmaker Mel Gibson. The casting of Cormac drew some controversy, over the actor’s checkered past, but the makers have defended it, claiming that his portrayal of the ‘off-the-rails’ role justified the call. Also on the cast of the show are Hubert Point-Du, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada, Nhung Kate, Ben Robson, Peter Greene, Jeremy Bobb, Adam Shapiro, Katie McGrath, Ray McKinnon, Mark Musashi and Marina Mazepa, among others.