'The Continental' TV Show Will Not Feature Ian McShane And His Sage Advice About Murder

The Continental TV show, a spin-off from the John Wick franchise, has declared Ian McShane excommunicado. The actor, who so memorably plays Winston, the owner of the Continental hotel, won't be appearing in the series. The actor confirmed that he may or may not lend his voice via voice over, but he won't be popping-up in the show anytime soon.

A Continental TV show without Ian McShane sounds unthinkable, but that's what's happening. The upcoming John Wick spin-off series The Continental will not only be John Wick free, it will also be Winston free. Speaking with Rotten Tomatoes, McShane confirmed his urbane hotel owner is sitting this one out. "No," McShane said in regards to appearing in the series. "But I may give 'em a voiceover. A series, no. They talked about that."

McShane also added that his character is going to be in trouble in John Wick Chapter 3 for giving John Wick a head-start on his getaway: "Oh yeah, you know The High Table will be pissed off...The High Table are very pissed off, and they're very angry."

If The Continental was coming out right after the first John Wick film, the lack of McShane's Winston might stick out more. But John Wick Chapter 2 revealed that there was more than one Continental – McShane's Winston owns the New York location, but there are Continentals all over the world. With that in mind, it's likely that the series will be focusing on a different Continental than the one we're used to.

"They've got a really good structure. It's very tied to the film [in that] it's about the Continentals all over the world, how certain people come into that world, and what happens in relation to those people, which is cool," John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelksi said of the series. "I think the world is very vast, and everything I've heard from it is very positive. It's something that studio seems very, very intent on [making] and very, very behind."

Stahelski also added that the series would tell stories from a different point of view:

"I like telling stories from my one character's perspective. Once you put that aside with the TV show, [you can] expand to all the different characters and follow them throughout their journey. You can be with the consigliere, concierge, the sommelier — you can be with all these different characters and walk through the world in different aspects; ones that I'm a little limited [from exploring] by staying with my lead guy."

The Continental TV series doesn't have a premiere date yet, but John Wick Chapter 3 will open May 17, 2019.