John Wick Presents: Ballerina | |
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Directed by | Len Wiseman |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Shay Hatten |
Based on | Characters by Derek Kolstad |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Romain Lacourbas |
Edited by | Jason Ballantine |
Music by |
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Production companies | |
Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
John Wick Presents: Ballerina is an upcoming American action thriller film directed by Len Wiseman, from a script written by Shay Hatten, Michael Finch, and Emerald Fennell, based on an original story by Hatten. It is the first spin-off, and fifth installment overall in the John Wick franchise. It is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). It stars Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves. In the film, ballerina-assassin Rooney (Armas) hunts those who killed her family. This is Reddick's final screen role, which will be released posthumously after his death in 2023.
Lionsgate acquired Hatten's spec script for the film in 2017, leading to him contributing to the final screenplay for Parabellum and then serving as the lead writer for Chapter 4. In October 2019, Wiseman was hired as director, with Chad Stahelski confirmed as a producer by May 2020. Ballerina was officially announced in April 2022, with de Armas confirmed to be replacing Unity Phelan, who portrayed the character in Parabellum, in the lead role; by that November, the rest of the main cast was rounded out. Principal photography began soon after, taking place in Prague, Czech Republic. Additional action sequences were shot starting in February 2024.
The film is scheduled to be released on June 6, 2025.
Taking place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4 , [3] ballerina-assassin Rooney hunts the murderers of her family.
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. [12] At the end of the year, the script was voted onto The Black List of best unproduced screenplays in 2017. [13] By October 2019, Len Wiseman was hired to direct the film. [14] 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. [15] 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. [16] By April 2022, the film was officially announced by Lionsgate, with Ana de Armas tapped to star in the lead role. [4] In July 2022, de Armas stated Emerald Fennell was hired to contribute to the script as one of its writers. [17]
In May 2020, it was reported that the studio was looking for an actress to star in the film, with Chloë Grace Moretz as the template for the kind of talent they were looking for. [18] By October 2021, Ana de Armas entered negotiations to play the titular character, a ballerina-assassin named Rooney, replacing Unity Phelan, who previously portrayed the character in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019). [19] By April 2022 at CinemaCon, Lionsgate officially announced that de Armas would star in the lead role. [4] 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 John Wick, Winston Scott, Charon, and "the Director", respectively; [11] [20] [5] [7] it also marks the third collaboration between de Armas and Reeves, having previously worked together in Knock Knock (2015) and Exposed (2016). In December 2022, Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, and Catalina Sandino Moreno joined the supporting cast in undisclosed roles. [9] [10] [21] During reshoots in 2024, David Castañeda and Sharon Duncan-Brewster joined the cast. [22]
Initially scheduled to commence in summer 2022, [4] principal photography officially began on November 7, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic. [23] [11] [24] Ballerina was in post-production in February 2023. [25] In February 2024, producer Chad Stahelski was working on additional action sequences for the film with director Len Wiseman. [26]
The music score was composed in collaboration by Marco Beltrami and Anna Drubich, which they commenced on April 17, 2023. [27]
The first marketing material for the film, shown at the 2024 CinemaCon convention, was a short teaser trailer released to the closed-door audience. [28] Entertainment Weekly reported that the trailer included Charon, Winston, Norman Reedus's undisclosed character, and Wick in a cameo appearance at the end. [29] There, it was revealed that the film's title had been appended from Ballerina to John Wick Presents: Ballerina. [30] [31] Bleeding Cool called the footage "exactly what CinemaCon dreams are made of". [32] Variety remarked that the trailer was "heavy on ass-kicking" and called the combat showcased "brutal", mentioning Rooney's use of a flamethrower during a sequence. [33]
John Wick Presents: Ballerina is scheduled to be released in the United States and the United Kingdom on June 6, 2025. [34] It was previously scheduled to be released on June 7, 2024. [35]
In March 2023, producer Erica Lee stated that the studio has tentative plans to develop a sequel starring Ana de Armas. [36]
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Known for his phlegmatic disposition in roles spanning numerous genres, he has gained distinction and acclaim for his performances as a leading man in action cinema.
Lance Solomon Reddick was an American actor and musician. He was known for his roles as Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013) and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020). In film, he starred as Charon in the John Wick franchise (2014–2023) and as General Caulfield in White House Down (2013).
David M. Leitch is an American filmmaker, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and actor. He made his directorial debut on the 2014 action film John Wick with Chad Stahelski, though only Stahelski was credited. Leitch then directed the 2017 thriller film Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron, and 2018's Deadpool 2. In 2019, he directed Hobbs & Shaw, a spin-off of the Fast & Furious franchise, and in 2022 directed Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt.
Ana Celia de Armas Caso is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba with a leading role in the romantic drama Una rosa de Francia (2006). At the age of 18, she moved to Madrid, Spain, and starred in the popular drama El Internado for six seasons from 2007 to 2010.
Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor who has appeared in films, television series and video games. He made his film debut in the short One Step Away in 1985. The following year, Reeves appeared in the crime film River's Edge, and the television films Babes in Toyland, Act of Vengeance, and Brotherhood of Justice. His first lead role was as a teenager dealing with his best friend's suicide in the 1988 drama Permanent Record. His breakthrough role came when he played time-travelling slacker Ted "Theodore" Logan in the science fiction comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) with Alex Winter, which was an unexpected commercial success. Reeves followed this with a supporting role in Ron Howard's comedy Parenthood. In 1991 he starred in the action film Point Break with Patrick Swayze, the science fiction comedy sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and the independent drama My Own Private Idaho.
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