John Wick Will Appear in Ana de Armas’ ‘Ballerina’ Spin-Off After All
If you were hoping for more John Wick, Ballerina has him. Catch up with all the latest on the spin-off – including the official release date.
Ballerina expands from pivotal scenes in John Wick 3: Parabellum that reveal the inner workings of the Ruska Roma, the organization that adopted and trained Wick. As they talk, they walk by ballerinas of various ages practicing and warming up; some are covered in the same style of tattoos John is. It quickly becomes apparent that these dancers aren’t just dancers. The Ruska Roma are using a ballet company as cover for their operations and as a school for assassins.
via Lionsgate
Ballerina’s story occurs during the six-month gap between Parabellum and Chapter 4. It’s a revenge tale focusing on an assassin hunting down the people who murdered her family. She was only a child when she lost them, which led her to the Ruska Roma’s training program. Based on where the movie is on the timeline, the family’s fallout with the High Table will be part of the story.
The lead character, Rooney, has already been introduced. She didn’t have dialog, but anyone that’s seen Chapter 3 will recognize the tattooed-covered dancer. Ana de Armas will take over the role from real-life ballerina Unity Phelan.
Unity Phelan as Rooney in John Wick 3 via Lionsgate
Len Wiseman (the guy behind the Underworld franchise) is directing from a script by Shay Hatten (who was on the team behind Chapter 4) and ever-amazing Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman). Crossing my fingers that her work on this means we’ll get a multifaceted woman that kicks ass and not just another “strong” woman that’s written like a dude.
Ballerina Cast
The movie is led by Ana de Armas, whose action scenes stand out in No Time to Die. Her performance left a lot of folks asking for a Bond-style movie with de Armas at the center. Glad Hollywood decided to agree–and to include her in one of the best action franchises of all time.
Continental mainstays Lance Reddick (it’s likely his scenes were done before he passed) and Ian McShane are confirmed—no word on how involved those three will be. I’m sure Anjelica Huston, who is returning as The Director, will have more than a few scenes. Other additions to the Ballerina cast include Norman Reedus, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Abraham Popoola, and Gabriel Byrne. Oh, and Anne Parillaud, aka the original Nikita. There are no details on their characters yet.
If his most recent turn as John Wick wasn’t enough for you, don’t worry–Keanu Reeves has more than a brief cameo. Writer Shay Hatten told Collider:
“We got him to be in it for a good chunk. He’s a real character, and it’s not just kind of a one-piece cameo. He’s got… Well, I shouldn’t say too much, but he’s in the movie in a way that I think people are going to be really excited by. And it was cool because it really was… the only reason we set it between three and four was because it felt like there was kind of a cool window of time for John there...”
via Lionsgate
When Will We Get to See Ballerina?
Lionsgate has confirmed that the spin-off will hit theaters on June 7, 2024. Not as soon as many of us would like, but you still have a chance to see Chapter 4 in theaters while you wait.
