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In the Ballerina trailer, a flame-torching, axe-throwing Ana de Armas embraces the death-defying stunts and stealthy choreography that made the John Wick movies a standalone, action-packed franchise.
The Len Wiseman-directed Ballerina follows Armas, a ballerina and assassin who is learning from the teachings of the Ruska Roma. Armas, who plays Eve Macarro, is seeking revenge from the men who killed her family and along the way faces John Wick‘s Keanu Reeves, featured toward the trailer’s end. The film, written by Shay Hatten, takes place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, and sees Armas’ take on the assassin role, previously played by Unity Phelan. Other stars include Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, the late Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, and Ian McShane.
Previously expected to release in 2024, the John Wick spinoff experienced a year-long delay after John Wick director Chad Stahelski stepped in to film additional action sequences with Ballerinadirector Len Wiseman, Lionsgate insiders told The Hollywood Reporter. For the franchise, Reeves trained in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, while Stahelski, who served as a stunt double for Reeves in The Matrix films, staged the stunts. John Wick: Chapter 4 marked the highest grossing film within the franchise, raking in $440 million globally. Other spinoffs from the action series includes the 2023 prequel miniseries, The Continental, starring Mel Gibson. Ballerina releases in theaters June 6.
