'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAQACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgcQAAICAwEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABRESEyKBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFBhEAAgECBwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMBADEEBRESIUFSYv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8ArbXp3i3EaiKOOtBUECJGqhCXhRm6B0lvkJbubkm93WlRdbT2FhK1ICvAvvvmOL6KPwDGMBzBjIcOhlY+/uaqcElJLPcsJ5C8R4iv/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ballerina, the upcoming spin-off of the John Wick franchise by Lionsgate Entertainment, has finally locked in a release date. Starring Ana de Armas in the lead role, the film is set to be released on June 7, 2024. The news was announced around the same time that John Wick 4 crossed $250 million at the worldwide box office.
The film will star Armas as a character named Rooney, a ballerina who is training to be an assassin. She made her first appearance in John Wick 3: Parabellum as a ballerina under the supervision of Anjelica Huston's "The Director". Keanu Reeves will also take on a supporting role as John Wick in the upcoming film.
As per IGN, the film is reportedly being made to build the John Wick universe amongst other upcoming projects. Notably, a television series set in the fictional Continental Hotel, which was seen in all the John Wick films, is currently on the books.
Trending
Ballerina is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4
The plot of the film is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 and will see Ana de Armas' character, Rooney, trying to take vengeance on those who killed her family.
Shay Hatten, one of the screenwriters for the film, shed some light on the plot and told Collider that the film starts by "introducing a character who kind of went through some of the same training as John Wick" in the ballet academy run by The Director. She will be seen going to a new corner of the world with an isolated community, which is unlike anything seen in the John Wick franchise.
Erica Lee, a producer of the film, told ScreenRant that Armas' character is the opposite of John Wick, stating that "she is trying to get in the world of assassins and hitmen," while Wick himself "is trying to leave that life behind." She also praised Ana de Armas for her amazing acting ability and detailed how she brings a lot to the role.
Lee also revealed that the film was originally not a spin-off of John Wick but that it had evolved into becoming one. She told Collider:
"Yeah. It's funny, Ballerina was sort of a long time coming, also. Shay Hatten was like an intern for Robert Downey Jr., I had a general meeting with him, he was a huge John Wick fan, and he wrote Ballerina in a vacuum, like as a spec script. He gave it to me, I want to say five years ago, and I read it and was like, ‘Okay.’ It was an assassin, Rooney, it was a female character, but we optioned it and we're like, ‘Let's back this into [the] John Wick universe.'"
She further added:
"Then we started developing and making it more Wick. But this was before we'd even shot John Wick 3. [There have] been iterations along the way, and as we keep learning more about the universe and creating new characters and refining the Wick world, that sort of enters its way into Ballerina."
Concluding her statement, she expressed how Ballerina was "a constantly evolving ecosystem of a movie."
As of now, due to the film currently being in post-production and being a year away from release, no official trailer has been released.
Ana de Armas headlines Ballerina along with a supporting cast that includes Keanu Reeves and the late Lance Reddick
The film stars Ana de Armas in the lead role. She will be joined by a supporting cast including Ian McShane as Winston, the late Lance Reddick as Charon, Anjelica Huston as "The Director," and Keanu Reeves, who reprises his role as John Wick. Additionally, Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, and Catalina Sandino Moreno will also be seen taking on undisclosed roles.
In an interview with GameRadar, Keanu Reeves revealed that John Wick's role in Ballerina is "very organic" despite it being minor. He also said that he loved working with Ana de Armas.
The film is directed by Len Weisman and the script has been written by Shay Hatten, Emerald Finnell, and Weisman himself. Basil Ewanyk, Erica Lee, and Chad Stahelski, who directed all four John Wick films, serve as producers for the upcoming movie.
With Ballerina set to release on June 7, 2024, fans are excited about the future of the John Wick franchise.
