John Wick spin-off Ballerina is alive and well, with a release window of 2025. In the meantime, an exclusive trailer wowed attendees at this year's Cinemacon in Las Vegas.
The story of John Wick appears to have concluded with the ambiguous ending of John Wick 4, but more stories are coming from that world, starting with the spin-off Ballerina, headlined by Ana de Armas.
The production has kept things tightly under wraps, but director Len Wiseman broke the ice by debuting a trailer for this year's Cinemacon attendees.
The trailer is not yet accessible online, but here is a breakdown of some important portions courtesy of Cinema Blend.
First, the trailer seems to imply a passing of the baton from John Wick himself to the ballerina-turned-assassin character played by Ana de Armas. Yes, it means that there was a scene that featured Keanu Reeves having a conversation with the actress in the trailer.
Second, Ana de Armas excels greatly as a gunfighter on screen. One scene has her on a shooting range firing a gun that she has to reload with every shot, an act that the reviewer described as “mechanical,” implying a fluidity that borders on natural.
Last but not least, Lionsgate has moved the release date of the film to next year. This will give Wiseman and his crew more time to polish the movie before it comes out.
John Wick is one of the three franchises that Lionsgate wants to push into continuity aside from Saw and The Hunger Games. With Ballerina, it seems that the world of Baba Yaga is moving in the right direction.