Summary
From the World of John Wick: Ballerinamay not be John Wick’s story, but Keanu Reeves’ iconic hitman will play a part in it. Reeves has been attached to the spin-off film for some time, but further details of the actor’s involvement have been unveiled in a new featurette.
Ballerinatells the story of Ana de Armes’ Eve Macarro, a ballerina and assassin who trains with the Ruska Roma to help enact her revenge for her father’s murder. The story is the second spin-off story set in the world ofJohn Wick, withThe Continental,the prequel series telling the story ofIan McShane’s Winston Scottin his younger years, having been released on Prime Video in 2023.Ballerinawas originally a standalone story written by Shay Hatten, until the concept of the ballerina assassins was introduced inJohn Wick 3: Parabellum,and the script was reworked to be set within the same cinematic world.
While Ana de Armes is the central character ofBallerina, many of the familiarJohn Wickcharacters are returning in the film including McShane as Winston, the late Lance Reddick as Charon, and Reeves as the infamous John Wick. Wick appeared in thefirst teaser forBallerina, which saw Eve ask him for advice on how to become an assassin as proficient as him. “Looks like you already have,” Wick responds. In a newfeaturette released at CCXPforBallerina, Reeves can be seen filming some additional scenes onBallerina’sset, including Wick’s arrival on a train for what looks to be a tour of the ballerina’s facilities, which is watched from the sideline by Eve.
How Does Ballerina Fit Into the World of John Wick?
It’s unknown whetherJohn Wick: Chapter 5will ever be realized, particularly after Wick seemingly met his end by the conclusion ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4. However,Ballerinais a prequel set between theevents ofJohn Wick 3and4, allowing Reeves’ character to return without infringing on any franchise continuities. Whether or not Reeves ever headlines anotherJohn Wickfilm,Ballerinais a chance for audiences to enjoy the character on the big screen once again.
The featurette sets up John and Eve’s relationship to be a master and apprentice style. At one point, McShane says in the featurette that where John Wick is known as the Baba Yaga, Eve is the “Baby Yaga.” However, director Len Wiseman made clear thatBallerinais more than just a gender-flipped John Wick. “This is not a female John Wick, this is a story about Eve coming into it from the beginning,” Wiseman said.
John Wick is the Baba Yaga, and Ana, she’s the Baby Yaga.
The rest of the cast involved inBallerinais impressive. Anjelica Huston stars in the film as the Director, Gabriel Bynre is the maina flashy flamethrower sequenceantagonist the Chancellor, and Norman Reedus plays a mysterious new character, Daniel Pine. TheJohn Wickspin-off will seemingly match the flagship films in terms of action, with de Armes claiming during the featurette she set over 100 people on fire in a flashy flamethrower sequence. Whether Reeves will engage in any of the action inBallerinaor is only appearing in a cameo capacity is yet to be revealed.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerinawill be released on Jun 13, 2025.
