John Wick director explains why he cast Mel Gibson in prequel series The Continental

Mel Gibson’s casting in John Wick spin-off series The Continental has been defended by the show’s director, Albert Hughes.

A prequel series to the hit action franchise, The Continental: From the World of John Wick sees Gibson star as ageing assassin Cormac.

The 67-year-old has largely been ignored by Hollywood in recent years after being accused of making racist, antisemitic and homophobic comments in the past. The Continental marks the 67-year-old’s first major US TV role.

However, speaking ahead of the series’ launch on Friday (22 September), director Hughes explained why he’d cast Gibson despite the furore surrounding him.

“I cast [Mel Gibson] based on his past work that I grew up on,” Hughes told The New York Post. “And I think he fit the role perfectly. I think once fans see it, they’ll understand why.”

Hughes, who also serves on the show as an executive producer, added: “The personal stuff is not my business to talk about.”

Hughes echoed this while speaking to TVLine, adding: “The personal life stuff, that’s not my place to get into. I’m just trying to do my job and appreciate a person who knows what he’s doing in front of the camera and behind it.”

The Independent has contacted Gibson for comment.

Trouble began for Gibson in 2006 when he was arrested for suspected drunk driving in Malibu and made antisemitic remarks to a policeman. The US actor later apologised, stating that the comments were “blurted out in a moment of insanity”.

Four years later, The Passion of the Christ director featured on a leaked recording with then-wife Oksana Grigorieva in which he uttered a racial slur. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department launched a domestic violence investigation against Gibson, but it was later dropped when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge.

In multiple interviews over the years, Winona Ryder has claimed that Gibson had made anti-semitic and homophobic comments in front of her at a party.

When the allegations were repeated in 2020, the Braveheart star’s representatives called them “100 per cent untrue”. “She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she’s lying about it now,” they said.

Gibson was blacklisted from Hollywood, but returned in 2017 to direct his Oscar-winning film Hacksaw Ridge starring Andrew Garfield. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards in 2018, with Gibson picking up a nomination for Best Director.

When Gibson’s casting in The Continental was announced in 2021, many fans of the John Wick films voiced their concern.

“[They’ve] ruined one of my favourite franchises and storylines with the addition of Mel Gibson,” one fan wrote.

Another comment read: “With Mel Gibson as a part of this project, I know what John Wick chapter I will NOT be watching. I refuse to be a contributor to Gibson’s residuals.”

Beginning in 2014, the movie series stars Keanu Reeves as a former assassin who returns to the trade after mobsters kill his dog.

Months before his casting in The Continental was announced, Gibson was spotted saluting Donald Trump in a video.

The Continental: From the World of John Wick is released on Friday 22 September on Prime Video.