The Continental: Mel Gibson roped in to play the lead in Keanu Reeves starrer John Wick prequel

It was in 2017, when the creators of John Wick, Chad Stahelski and Derek Kolstad announced that they are developing a television series as a part of the hit franchise. Now, the series has been officially announced and it's a prequel to the Keanu Reeves starrer franchise. Titled The Continental, the makers have roped in veteran actor Mel Gibson to play the leading role in the series. With the show, the actor will be returning to the world of television after more than two decades. 

As per reports in Deadline, the premise of The Continental is described as that the series will explore the origin behind the hotel-for-assassins, which increasingly has become the centrepiece of the John Wick universe.

The series will be shown through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, who is dragged into the Hell-scape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he'd left behind.

In The Continental, Gibson plays the role of a new character named Cormac. But the makers are yet to reveal more details about his character. 

Meanwhile, John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to release in 2022 with Keanu reprising his titular role. John Wick: Chapter 5 is also in the works and both the films are helmed by the franchise director Chad Stahelski. 

On the other hand, Gibson has several films in his kitty, the actor will next be seen in Last Looks which is directed by Tim Kirkby and based on the novel of the same name. The film also features Charlie Hunnam, Morena Baccarin, Dominic Monaghan, Jacob Scipio and Clancy Brown in pivotal roles.

The Mad Max actor also has Dangerous, Panama, Stu, Agent Game, Bandit and The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection which he is directing as well as producing. All the films are likely to hit the screens in 2022-23.