From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is an upcoming action thriller film directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten. It is a spin-off and the fifth film in the John Wick franchise. Starring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a ballerina-assassin previously portrayed by Unity Phelan in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, with Ian McShane and Keanu Reeves reprising their roles Winston Scott and John Wick from previous films.
Synopsis[]
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Ballerina follows Eve Macarro who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Plot[]
Cast[]
- Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro
- Ian McShane as Winston Scott
- Keanu Reeves as John Wick
- Lance Reddick as Charon
- Anjelica Huston as The Director
- Catalina Sandino Moreno as TBA
- Norman Reedus as Pine
- Gabriel Byrne as The Chancellor
- Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Nogi
- David Castañeda as TBA
Production[]
Development[]
In July 2017, Lionsgate Films acquired Shay Hatten's action thriller Ballerina, with Thunder Road Films producing the film with Hatten rewriting the script to be a part of the John Wick franchise, with the title character, Rooney, ultimately being written into the third main film, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum in a cameo role ahead of the production of Ballerina, portrayed by Unity Phelan. By October 2019, Len Wiseman was hired to direct the film. In May 2020, Stahelski stated that Wiseman had read the script earlier, and approached the studio with a pitch of how he would develop the project, based on Hatten's draft, for which the proof of concept had previously been uploaded to YouTube in September 2017. Stahelski met with Wiseman, and approached executives to hire the filmmaker. He confirmed that he and his team will work closely with Wiseman on the action sequences and stunts for the film, while acknowledging that Wiseman's filmmaking style will add variety to the franchise. At that point, Wiseman and Hatten were working on a newer draft of the script. By April 2022, the film was officially announced by Lionsgate.
In July 2022, de Armas revealed that she had personally selected Emerald Fennell to contribute to the script as one of its writers.
Casting[]
In May 2020, it was reported that the studio is looking for an actress to star in the film, with Chloë Grace Moretz as the template for the kind of talent they are looking for. By October 2021, Ana de Armas entered negotiations to portray the titular character, a ballerina-assassin named Rooney, replacing Unity Phelan, who previously portrayed the character in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. By April 2022 at CinemaCon, Lionsgate officially announced that de Armas will star in the lead role. In November 2022, it was announced that Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and Anjelica Huston had joined the cast and will reprise their roles from previous films of the franchise; as Jardani Jovonovich / John Wick, Winston Scott, Charon, and "the Director", respectively. In December 2022, Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, and Catalina Sandino Moreno joined the supporting cast in unnamed roles.
Filming[]
Principal photography was initially scheduled to commence in summer 2022. Filming officially began rolling on November 7, 2022, in Prague. Certain scenes were shot around Moravia. Principal photography finished on February 5, 2023.
Additional action sequences started being filmed in late February 2024 under the supervision of Chad Stahelski until late April 2024. Seemingly, Chad Stahelski supervised two to three months of reshoots, refilming the majority of the film, with Wisemen not present on set.
Music[]
By September 2024, Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard had composed the soundtrack for the film. Originally, Marco Beltrami and Anna Drubich were composing the soundtrack after being hired by April 2023.
Marketing[]
At the 2024 CinemaCon convention, a short teaser featuring Eve, Winston, Charon and Wick revealed to the audience behind closed doors.
Sequel[]
In March 2023, producer Erica Lee had claimed that the studio has unsettled plans to develop a sequel starring Ana de Armas.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the third film featuring stars Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas.
- At the John Wick Panel at CCXP22, star Keanu Reeves announced this film Ballerina will take place between John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4.
- This was Lance Reddick's final appearance as Charon, and overall final on-screen appearance released posthumously.
- Originally. John Wick Presents: Ballerina had a concrete release date of June 6, 2024, but the release date was changed in February 2024 to film newer scenes and allow further improvements on the film. According to Ian McShane, the film has to go under "new shoots", a move to protect the franchise. Chad Stahelski is also now involved with the project to make it superior than what director Len Wiseman had envisioned before.