The Continental: From The World Of John Wick might be its own series, but it was careful to include the unique fighting of John Wick.
The Continental: From The World Of John Wick brought in people from the sound and stunt teams that John Wick used in order to make sure that the unique fighting style carries through to the three-part event. During the press day Action Director Larnell Stovall, Production Designer Drew Boughton, and Sound Editor Luke Gibleon talk about how they incorporated bits from the John Wick films into The Continental episodes.
Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The Continental: From The World Of John Wick would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.
How The Continental Incorporates John Wick Unique Fighting Style
Luke Gibleon, who worked on all four of the John Wick films, admits that he is pretty comfortable with how things sound in that world. He says it was necessary for him to be comfortable with it because of the time and budget restrictions. He worked to create the immersive theatrical experience that Director Albert Hughes wanted. “There’s no way I would have been able to pull it off if I hadn’t had all that experience.”
He says that he knows how to do John Wick action and he had libraries of sounds built that he could pull from. “Then there’s the other part of John Wick, where those two are similar, and that’s world building and creating. Usually we have silences, creating these interesting ambiences. That’s also important tie in.” He kept those things in mind, and at the same time, Albert has his own flavor and his own style.
“I knew how to do John Wick, and I was able to use everything, the additional free time, to spend crafting to Albert division, because he’s got his style and we need to make sure we got it. You need to craft the sound the way he wanted to hear it, because he’s got a completely different style than what we see in John Wick. So it’s the melting pot that made it a lot of fun.”
When it comes to the stunt work, Action Director Larnell Stovall and Production Designer Drew Boughton brought a lot in from their work on the John Wick films as well. Something that is very unique to the style of fighting, which Director Albert Hughes says is where the humor in John Wick comes from, is using the surroundings as weapons.
The film series uses a lot of non-traditional weapons during the fight sequences, like a pencil, for example. In The Continental, they do a lot of the same, which helps it to feel consistent with the style of fighting from John Wick. Larnell was excited to play with the 1970s setting, and think about what weapons were like. There were brass knuckles and switchblades, but those were common. He was thrilled to use things like plates, a phone booth, and an iron in the fights in The Continental: From The World Of John Wick.
Larnell Stovall says that in order to pull off the John Wick style, but still remain true to The Continental, he respects the audience’s expectations. “They’re known for not having any cuts. They’re known for making sure the action is seen with the actor a lot. So that becomes a template for me. We’re not depending on editing.”
He explains that they pick the style, train the actor, and make sure they catch on do to what they can. Then simply stick to the story. “From there, you put a little magic sauce on top of that, and here we are.”
The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Night 1 premieres Friday, September 22 on Peacock, followed by Night 2 airing September 29 and Night 3 airing October 6.
NEXT: The Continental Creators Confess Favorite John Wick Easter Eggs
About The Continental: From The World Of John Wick
The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece 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.
The Continental: From The World Of John Wick Night 1 premieres Friday, September 22 on Peacock, followed by Night 2 airing September 29 and Night 3 airing October 6.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for almost ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association, Hollywood Critics Association, and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.