Naman Shrestha
Serving as a prequel spin-off of the highly popular ‘John Wick‘ franchise, Peacock’s ‘The Continental: From the World of John Wick,’ or simply ‘The Continental,’ is an action crime series that chronicles the origin of the iconic hotel for assassins — The Continental. Set in the 1970s, it follows a young Winston Scott who becomes the proprietor of the New York branch of the hotel chain, which is known to be a safe haven for legal assassins. Developed by Greg Coolidge, Shawn Simmons, and Kirk Ward, the crime drama show highlights some real-world events with some cinematic twists, including the Winter of Discontent and the American Mafia’s rise to economic power.
With Colin Woodell portraying the lead character, the series also consists of other renowned names in the industry, such as Mel Gibson, Mishel Prada, Nhung Kate, and Katie McGrath. While the high-octane action sequences and the intriguing tale keep the viewers hooked through each episode, the setting of 1970s New York City and the original exterior and interior state of The Continental intrigue them to know about the filming sites in detail. If you happen to be that curious soul, we have you covered!
The Continental: From the World of John Wick Filming Locations
‘The Continental: From the World of John Wick’ is filmed primarily in Hungary, specifically in and around Budapest. According to reports, principal photography for the debut season of the action series commenced in November 2021 and was carried out over the course of the next seven months or so, before wrapping up in June 2022. So, let’s not waste any time and dive right into all the specific locations that make an appearance in the Peacock series!
Budapest, Hungary
The shooting for almost the entirety of the show takes place in the city of Budapest and its surrounding areas. The production team of ‘The Continental: From the World of John Wick’ sets up camp in different areas of the capital of Hungary, which doubles for New York City where the story is set. Regarding that, one of the executive producers, Erica Lee, had some words to say during a roundtable attended by members of the press.
Lee explained, “We shot in Budapest, which initially was a bit daunting. We built almost everything. I mean, there was an existing New York backlot there that we kind of redressed and made our own. But Drew Boughton, our Production Designer, did an enormous amount of research on what Chinatown and New York in the ’70s looks like. What it feels like. I think we did an amazing job of kind of capturing the smells, the feels, the really organic nature of it, and then putting a bit of the John Wick spin on it.”
Even the lifelong New Yorker, Basil Iwanyk, another one of the executive producers, admitted that it impressed how Budapest ended up looking so much like the city he grew up in. He said, “When we heard we were going to Budapest, I was like, ‘It’s going to look like shit.’ I’m the guy that could watch anything and spot that’s not New York…I pick out these things, and it annoys the hell out of me. I was shocked. I think that was a thing we pulled off.”
Apart from taping inside a few actual establishments, in order to shoot most of the interior scenes, especially the ones inside The Continental, it is a high possibility that the cast and crew also set up camp in one of the film studios situated in and around Budapest, including Origo Studios, CineArt Studio, and Korda Studio. As for the exterior shots, they are supposedly recorded across Budapest while it is draped by the covers of New York City. Other than ‘The Continental: From the World of John Wick,’ the capital of Hungary has served as a production location for a wide range of films and TV shows, including ‘Dune,’ ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ ‘The Eagle,’ ‘Knights of the Zodiac,’ and ‘Moon Knight.’
Read More: Is John Wick Based on a True Story?
