It won't work without him: although the movie "Ballerina" will revolve around the eponymous character played by Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves will also be back in his iconic role of John Wick. Learn how this is even possible after Part 4 and what awaits us in the new action thriller here in our new KinoCheck Original!

What Does Ballerina Have to Do with John Wick?

In the new movie, we delve further into the "John Wick" universe. In Part 3, we already learned a little about John's training as a professional killer. There, he visits the Tarkovsky Theater in New York, which also serves as a cover for a secret base of the Ruska Roma, a crime family of Russian origin.

It was not only John who once learned his skills there: in the scene, we see a ballerina performing a dance in front of the strict eyes of the director. The spin-off is set to revolve around precisely this character. The former ballet dancer is trained as a hitwoman after her entire family was murdered. We will be given the opportunity to experience her subsequent vendetta up close in the upcoming film. The whole plot is set between the third and fourth "John Wick" movies - so it seems that in between, John Wick has experienced even more bloody adventures that we didn't know about before.

The Cast

The new leading actress Ana de Armas is known from movies such as "Blade Runner 2049", "Knives Out" and the Netflix film "Blonde". Her action roles include the movie "Ghosted" with Chris Evans as well as "No Time to Die" alongside Daniel Craig.

It was perhaps a wise decision on behalf of the producers not to simply cast her on her own as a kind of female replacement for John Wick: The popular assassin will likewise make an appearance in the movie and will also take part in some action scenes together with the leading actress. Armas has already spoken enthusiastically about filming the movie together and was extremely impressed by Keanu Reeve's stunt work.

But in other respects, too, everything is being done to make "John Wick" fans feel right at home: It is certain that Ian McShane as hotel owner Winston and Anjelica Huston as the director will also be back in their familiar roles. Also part of the cast is "The Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus. With mixed feelings, we will be able to welcome Lance Reddick one very last time in the role of Concierge Charon. Sadly, the actor passed away unexpectedly in March 2023, shortly after wrapping up filming for "Ballerina".

The Production

The studio Lionsgate, which also produced the previous "John Wick" movies, is in charge of "Ballerina" as well. This should come as no surprise: the last installment alone, "John Wick: Chapter 4", grossed over 400 million dollars worldwide on a budget of 90 million dollars. The new movie is likely to find it difficult to build on this success and this is not only due to the focus on a new main character. After all, the director is no longer "John Wick" mastermind Chad Stahelski, but Len Wiseman. His previous works include the "Underworld" films with Kate Beckinsale, the reboot of "Total Recall" and part 4 of the popular "Die Hard" series with Bruce Willis - a filmography that might leave some fans worried.

This may not be entirely unjustified, because the production of "Ballerina" did not run quite smoothly. In February 2024 - four months before the intended theatrical release - it was announced that the film would be postponed by a whole year. The announcement came shortly after Lionsgate granted Chad Stahelski full creative control over the franchise. He was apparently unhappy with the action sequences so far and promptly ordered a series of additional filming to improve the quality of "Ballerina".

A First Impression

A first impression of "Ballerina" was given at this year's CinemaCon: there, the audience was shown a first teaser trailer in which things were not very peaceful: according to eyewitnesses, the ballerina used brute force to break the bones out of her opponents' elbows, burn them with a huge flamethrower and put grenades in their mouths. When it comes to brutality, it seems that the movie is in no way inferior to the original film series. Keanu Reeves can also be seen in the teaser. He gets off a train in a snowy landscape and is asked by the ballerina about how she can start doing what he does. His answer: "Looks like you already have."

When Will Ballerina Be Released?

The "John Wick" spin-off "Ballerina" is expected to be released in theaters on June 6, 2025 after the major postponement. Until then, we are eagerly awaiting the first official images and we can hardly wait to present you the first "Ballerina" teaser trailer!