Mel Gibson Starring In John Wick TV Series, Controversy Already Has Begun
Mel Gibson has been cast in a John Wick prequel. The internet is not happy about it.
This article is more than 2 years old
John Wick is getting a prequel series. Starz is putting together a three-night special event TV series called The Continental that will explore the origins of The Continental Hotel, a location used in the Keanu Reeves movie series. It’s exactly the kind of project that fans of the action movies can get behind. That is, until Deadline made a major announcement for the new project. Mel Gibson has been announced as an actor for The Continental and fans are not having it. He’s playing a character named Cormac, though not much is known about him or how large of a part he’ll be playing. Fans don’t seem to have a lot of questions about that, though. They want to know why Mel Gibson can still get work at all after his controversial history.
So if fans aren’t curious as to what role the actor is playing in the John Wick prequel, what are they saying? Well, one common question surrounds cancel culture. Does cancel culture really exist? Does it punish stars for doing terrible things? If you ask John Wick fans reacting to the news of the Mel Gibson casting, they’re going to say that no, it doesn’t. But that maybe it should. This is perhaps one of the most common reactions coming up to the news on Twitter.
if cancel culture were real then why mel gibson
— David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) October 18, 2021The onslaught of tweets asking where cancel culture is and why Mel Gibson still has a career has the actor’s name trending, but it’s not the only reaction fans are having. After all, questions around cancel culture and the actor are nothing new. A lot of John Wick fans are expressing their shock at the news. Many find that it doesn’t make sense as the next decision for the beloved franchise. Keanu Reeves is a beloved star who is often photographed with puppies. Mel Gibson has a long history of allegedly racist rants. What would motivate the studio to hire the star for the franchise? Twitter wants answers.
You’ve got a billion dollar action franchise starring one of America’s most beloved actors in Keanu Reeves, what do you do next with the IP?
If your answer was attach it to a prequel series at Starz featuring notorious antisemite, homophobe, and abuser Mel Gibson, come on down. https://t.co/5l7Ih58cMK
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 18, 2021mel gibson is a racist and anti-semite. everyone who's worked with him lately or is working with him should be deeply ashamed. https://t.co/A1tt28juv6
— Matt Ghoulbriele 👻 (@prof_gabriele) October 18, 2021Remember when Mel Gibson threatened the mother of his child in a series of leaked voicemails? Cause Hollywood studios sure don't! https://t.co/QSrZTITG4P
— Olivia Truffaut-Wong (@iWatchiAm) October 18, 2021i sat thinking through an entire red light the other day about how ludicrous it was to have a movie where *mel gibson* knows what women want https://t.co/IVK0KubkN1
— Molly Priddy (@mollypriddy) October 18, 2021Many people took to Twitter specifically to publicly vow that they will not see the Mel Gibson production. Some even promised that they’ll avoid the John Wick movies, though at this time he’s only scheduled to premiere in the prequel series on Starz, not the movies with Keanu Reeves.
I was excited for this series as I’m more interested in the WORLD of John Wick than any specific character but Mel Gibson is an automatic NOPE for me. https://t.co/WT56Arnr5z
— Vindaloo Diesel (@arune) October 18, 2021Previously, Lionsgate has said that it is unlikely Keanu Reeves will appear in The Continental, though they said that they were talking to him about taking on a role as an executive producer for the series. Ian McShane plays the character in the movies associated with The Continental Hotel but has said he is not appearing in the prequel series. That was said before the news of Mel Gibson was made public. As of now, the stars of the John Wick movies haven’t commented on the announcement for the actor.
While controversy has long surrounded Mel Gibson, the actor and director continues to work in Hollywood. He’s not often seen in high-profile blockbusters, but his list of upcoming projects remains long. Audiences can soon expect him to see co-star with Mark Wahlberg in Stu.
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