John Wick TV spin-off will focus on notorious hotel The Continental

Keanu Reeves will likely make an appearance on the show but will not be its lead star

Starz network has begun working on a TV spinoff of the John Wick saga called The Continental.

While fans are still a year away from the third film in the popular saga, Starz is developing a show based around the elite hotel where the world's best assassins rest their heads.

It is rumoured the series will explore the murky criminal underworld of New York, with a focus on the comings and goings at the infamous hotel.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Chad Stahelski, co-director of John Wick and director of the film's two sequels, will helm the pilot episode.

Keanu Reeves will reportedly appear, but will not be the main star. The actor will also be working as an executive producer on the project along with Basil Iwanyk and Chad Stahelski, who directed all three John Wick films.

Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement: “This series is truly unlike anything else on TV.

"The Continental promises to include the thunderous fight sequences and intensely staged shoot-outs between professional assassins and their targets that fans have come to expect in the John Wick movie franchise as well as introduce some new, darkly compelling characters who inhabit this underground world.”

The John Wick universe comes to Starz thanks to the new partnership between Starz and Lionsgate, the production company that acquired the premium cable network in 2016. Lionsgate also distributed and owns the rights to John Wick.

Actor Ian McShane, who plays the proprietor of the Continental hotel in John Wick, currently appears on American Gods, another successful Starz series. It's unclear whether he will reprise his role on The Continental.

Filming for John Wick: Chapter 3 is expected to start in the spring or summer in New York this year, with the film set to explore the background of the assassin.

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