The Continental, the Starz TV series based in the John Wick universe, is scheduled to premiere after the fourth movie drops on May 21, 2021.

According to Deadline, the head of Starz is concerned about interference with the theatrical release:

“I had a meeting on a season pitch for this yesterday. We like the group of writers, and we’re trying to get it in the right place so it doesn’t interfere with the motion picture. It will air sometime after the fourth movie.”

Hold on a minute…

This seems a little odd because, according to media reporting, May 21, 2021 is the opening weekend for John Wick 4 and The Matrix 4, both of which obviously star Keanu Reeves.

This seems like a blatant publicity stunt to drive churn on social media for a long-dead franchise and at some point, the release date for The Matrix 4 will be juggled.

Even if Reeves is enjoying a Great Man Moment in geek culture right now, geeks represent a small percentage of the box office. There is absolutely no way two studios square off with the same actor in the same genre on the same weekend.

Right?

What About The Show?

The Continental is going to explore would explore the origin story of the hotel which serves as a refuge for assassins in the movies.

No word on whether any of the actors from the first three John Wick movies will appear in The Continental but considering the pedigree of the franchise on the silver screen landing any of the cast would be a major coup for Starz.

Of course, fans would love to see Lance Reddick and Ian McShane reprise their roles. Maybe even a few appearances by that non-binary quant from Billions.

Image result for non-binary billions

Everyone else might still be “above” television. At least above Starz.