'John Wick' universe expands in streaming spin-off 'The Continental'

Through its familiar fast-paced action sequences, the talents behind “The Continental” are hoping that “John Wick” fans will check in and stay throughout its three-part streaming event.

After all, in “John Wick” universe, action is a character. It is also a strength that “The Continental” team built on.

The action director Larnell Stovall has teased the most challenging action scene that they filmed, which took months of preparation to perfect.

"The final fight scene, because when you take that journey along this world and you watch these characters, you have to make sure that there's a solid payoff," said Stovall. "I think that rooftop fight scene, that was the payoff, because that was months of work, months of planning."

He added: "I think we had the most time on that fight scene as far as preparation. And those characters when I say they nailed it, I couldn't be more proud."

“The Continental” crew built more than 60 production sets for the spin-off.

The story takes place in the 1970s and explores the origins of the characters of Winston and Charon, memorably played by Ian McShane and the late Lance Reddick, respectively, in “The John Wick” films.

Asked how he would compare the work on the project with his other jobs, Stovall said: "The action was insane, it was nonstop, so yes, there was pressure."

He continued: "I would say that was our ace in the hole because they had such a great vision that by the time the Action Team came onboard, it made it a lot easier for us to get in there, create some amazing sequences because the scripts had great story storylines within it."

The cast of “The Continental” is led by Mel Gibson, Colin Woodell, Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, and Nhung Kate.

In the spin-off, Stovall used the era’s popular fighting techniques like karate, judo, and Kung Fu.

The “John Wick” films frequently used Filipino martial arts, so in the future, he hopes to incorporate them too.

"I will love some of the hand speed in the Filipino style," said Stovall. "I would love to use some of the knife stuff if I could."

“The Continental: From The World Of John Wick” is now streaming on Peacock.