Where to watch The Continental in Australia when it airs

The John Wick franchise is getting its first prequel, but don't expect to find it in cinemas.

Named after the mysterious hotel of the same name that appears in the films, The Continental is a new limited series being developed by many of the same figures behind the Keanu Reeves-led action franchise.

John Wick co-director Chad Stahelski is set to helm the first episode, while John Wick writer Derek Kolstad and co-director David Leitch are also reportedly involved in one way or another. There are even rumours that Reeves will be showing up to reprise his role in the films.

The Continental is expected to debut in 2023, the answer to the question of when and where Aussies will be able to find it has a slightly fuzzier answer.

While The Continental is set to stream via Peacock in the US, other markets will be able to find the series on Amazon Prime Video when it makes its debut in 2023. 

According to Lionsgate president of worldwide television distribution Jim Packer, "The Continental promises to be one of the major streaming events of 2023, and it will be a perfect fit for Prime Video’s global audience as the ‘John Wick’ franchise continues to grow."

Whether the series will be as much of a mainstream hit as the John Wick films remains to be seen, but it's certainly a promising addition to Amazon Prime's

The Continental does not yet have an official release date beyond the wider window of 2023. Given that John Wick: Chapter 4 is slated to hit cinemas in March 2023, it will be particularly interesting to see whether the franchise's first TV spin-off is launched around the same time or later down the track. We'll have to wait and see.

While the plot of The Continental is just as mysterious as that of future John Wick films shrouded in mystery, there are a few details for fans of the franchise to get excited about.

Firstly, The Continental isn't getting a typical run of 8-10 episodes. Instead, the first season of the series will consist of three 90 episodes. Think BBC's Sherlock and you've got the right idea.

Secondly, The Continental will feature younger versions of mainstays from the John Wick films like Winston, Charon and The Adjudicator. In addition, some early reports suggest that The Continental will intersect with a number of real-life historical events like the rise of the American mafia and the 1968 Great Garbage Strike.

Series like Gangs of London have proven that well-executed action sequences be just as appealing in a streaming series as a feature film. If The Continental can make good on its promise to deliver the same cocktail of hyperviolence and lavish worldbuilding as the John Wick films do, it could be one of 2023's biggest breakout series.

Amazon Prime Video is Amazon's take on a streaming service. It's similar to Netflix, but with a few key differences. Like other such streaming services, your subscription gets you access to both original series like The Rings of Power and Fleabag as well as licensed TV shows and movies like The Northman and House.

While Amazon Prime Video offers many of the same bells and whistles, such as 4K HDR streaming  and offline downloads, it differs from most of the competition in one big way. It's not a standalone service. Instead, Amazon bundles it with an Amazon Prime membership. That, the existence of a 30-day free trial and the lower price tag that kicks in after the fact, helps position the service as one of the better value options out there.

Amazon Prime Video doesn't have everything, but what it does have in terms of  original content is generally quite good and the cost of keeping up with it is significantly less than most of the competition.