Is Keanu Reeves’ John Wick in The Continental?

With the John Wick prequel series, The Continental, hitting Peacock and Prime Video soon, the big question on viewers’ minds is: Will Keanu Reeves’ gun-toting, neck-snapping, puppy-avenging hitman make an appearance?  Unfortunately, as much as we would love to see that work, it doesn’t seem like that’s the direction the showrunners want to go with the story.

Will John Wick Be in The Continental?

Reeves probably won’t be in The Continental. The show takes place decades before the events of the John Wick films, which means we almost certainly won’t see the titular badass anywhere in The Contintental‘s three 90-ish minute episodes.

Related: The Continental Brings John Wick to Streaming With Mostly Vibes

This series follows a younger version of Ian McShane’s Winston Scott (played here by Colin Woodell) as he navigates the assassin underworld in the 1970s. In the John Wick films, Winston is the smooth-talking proprietor of the New York Continental, one of many luxury hotels/safe havens for assassins seeking temporary asylum from their hazardous lifestyles. The Continental tells the story of how Winston became such an esteemed figure in the criminal underworld, meaning it probably isn’t interested in checking in on John Wick or whatever he was up to as a child. Everything we know about the forthcoming show suggests it’s going to focus on expanding the world of John Wick without actually bringing the character into the fold.

The bottom line? The writers could involve the beloved hitman in the plot, but he’d have to a) be a child and thus b) not be Keanu Reeves. There just wouldn’t be a strong enough incentive to include the character in the story, so it’s unlikely John Wick will be in The Continental.

If you’ve got more big questions about the show, here’s what you need to know about The Contintental’s location in the John Wick universe.