'John Wick' fans upset Mel Gibson is starring in TV spinoff

[ItsjustMe]

https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/john-wick-continental-mel-gibson/

The John Wick franchise boasts a lot of goodwill. Critics love it. Action movie buffs love it. Everyone adores Keanu Reeves. And in a low-key way, John Wick has also become one of Hollywood’s most inclusive franchises, starring a racially diverse cast and featuring the first non-binary character in a film of this type.

So it’s surprising—shocking, even—that John Wick‘s TV spinoff The Continental will star Mel Gibson, a man whose name is synonymous with bigotry and scandal.

The Continental will air on Starz, a three-night TV event focusing on the franchise’s hotel for assassins. It’s a prequel set in the 1970s, exploring the backstory of Continental manager Winston (Ian McShane in the movies). Mel Gibson will play a new character named Cormac; the first casting announcement for the miniseries.

This news was immediately met by disgust and disbelief on social media. Gibson has been accused in the past of racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism. He was accused of physically and emotionally abusing his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who released a notorious 2010 audiotape in which Gibson admitted to hitting her, threatened to burn the house down, used the N-word, and said that Grigorieva deserved to be raped. (Gibson pleaded no contest in court and was sentenced to community service and a fine.)

Coupled with his 2006 DUI arrest (during which he allegedly went on an anti-Semitic rant and sexually harassed his arresting officer), this led to a temporary slow-down in Gibson’s career. But over the next few years, he was welcomed back into the Hollywood fold, with Hacksaw Ridge (which he directed) earning six Oscar nominations in 2016. His thriving career is often used as proof that “cancel culture” doesn’t exist for A-list stars, and he remains a controversial figure. Hence the reactions to this John Wick news.

[Dirty Socialist]

1. Not a fan

The shoot 'em up scenes in the John Wick's movies remind me of mass shootings. Too disturbing.

[underpants]

3. I agree. There's no depth like a Jason Bourne

or James Bond. His family got mirdered and he just kills everyone he sees.

[Clash City Rocker]

2. Everyone adores Keanu Reeves?

He can’t act. He never has. Maybe it’s everyone except me?

[underpants]

4. No he can't act. He does appear to be a pretty okay guy.

I remember seeing him in the early mostly stoner indie type movies. When he went into big movies we all kind of looked at each other like...okay. Good for him.

[Bayard]

5. Sorry to swim upstream,

But I love Keanu Reeves, and the John Wick movies (the stunts are incredible).

He's a genuinely nice guy--gives very large sums of money to childrens' hospitals and cancer research--in secret. He's been known to give large sums of money or gifts to people on his movie sets who don't get much recognition otherwise.



As for Mel, he's been very disappointing, to say the least.

[SoCalDavidS]

6. Only In America Can You Be A Raging Anti-Semite & Bigot, And Still Get Roles

What an utterly pathetic country this is.

[obamanut2012]

8. And a gleeful woman beater

[Thomas Hurt]

7. I might have been interested if they got Ian McShane to do the show...Gibson? Screw that.