Fans of the film 'John Wick' are outraged that Mel Gibson will appear in a television spinoff.

Dragged Across Concrete/Studio Canal

The series has just done a lot to dampen interest in it.

The John Wick film series has a great reputation. It's a huge hit with the critics. It's a hit with fans of action movies. Keanu Reeves is a superstar. John Wick has quietly become one of Hollywood's most inclusive franchises, with a cast that includes people of all races and gender identities for the first time.

Because of this, Mel Gibson, a guy whose name has become associated with prejudice and controversy, will feature in John Wick: Chapter 3: The Continental.

Assassins' hotel The Continental will be featured in a three-night television extravaganza on Starz. Winston, Continental's manager, is explored in this prequel set in the 1970s (Ian McShane in the movies). The first casting news for the miniseries is that Mel Gibson will portray a new character by the name of Cormac.

On social media, the reaction was swift contempt and bewilderment. Gibson has a history of being accused of xenophobia, racism, misogyny, and anti-Semitism, to name a few. After his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva made a harrowing 2010 audiotape in which Gibson acknowledged to striking her, threatening to burn down the house, used the N-word, and claimed that Grigorieva deserving of being raped, Gibson was accused of physical and emotional abuse. After pleading no contest in court, Gibson was given community service and a fine as punishment.

As a result of his DUI arrest in 2006, which included an alleged anti-Semitic tirade and sexual harassment of the arresting officer, Gibson's career was temporarily put on hold. In the following years, he was welcomed back into the Hollywood fold with six Oscar nominations in 2016 for his directorial work on Hacksaw Ridge. Despite his long and successful career, his success is frequently cited as evidence that "cancel culture" doesn't exist among A-list celebrities. Because of this, news of John Wick has elicited strong emotions.

Of course, the number of likes or dislikes a star receives on social media isn't the only way to gauge their popularity. Despite the outrage on social media, has Gibson been quietly forgiven by the general public? The question is, can we count on him to be a bankable celebrity again. The short answer is no, at least not based on his most recent work.

In fairness, Gibson's previous three films (Boss Level, Fatman and Force of Nature) came out during the epidemic and were box office duds. The Professor and the Madman (2019) was likewise a commercial flop, as was Dragged Across Concrete (2001). Looking further back (2018). Daddy's Home 2 was his most recent box office success in 2017. One of his few recent successes is in The Expendables 3 (2014), where he plays a supporting role in the franchise. As a result, while many directors are excited to work with Gibson, moviegoers aren't. And for some, his very existence detracts from the goodwill earned by John Wick's name.

People are more aware of casting decisions like these in the post-Me Too age, especially in media properties that people care about. Consider the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp's old Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them role. As a launching point for John Wick's first major spinoff, Gibson is a tough sell.