The John Wick spin-off Ballerina will finally be unveiling footage to the world after extended reshoots, according to the film’s star, Ana De Armas. De Armas is currently promoting her upcoming Ron Howard film Eden at TIFF when she spoke with Collider. She teases the action film, which is set to feature cameos by Keanu Reeves and Lance Reddick. De Armas explained,
All we did in those reshoots had to be there. We got amazing footage. It’s really spectacular. A trailer is coming out soon, I’ve been told. I saw it, and it’s beautiful. I’m very proud of it. It’s really exciting. It’s dangerous, it’s sexy, it’s very John Wick. I think people are going to be surprised. I’m biased. Of course, I like the movie, but I think it’s really cool. It’s going to be amazing.”
There was a trailer that was already showcased at CinemaCon this past Spring. The trailer that was shown featured De Armas doing MMA and gunplay, much like Keanu Reeves in the Wick films. However, it is noted that the fight sequences in Ballerina are very different from the Wick movies. Here, they look “more feral and less polished.” The movie is also said to be “insanely violent.” Although it is known that Reeves has a cameo, the preview teases his appearance as a trailer stinger.
The spin-off had a long journey. First, it wasn’t related to the John Wick franchise at all, then it was rewritten to take place in the world of The Continental. The movie would also undergo reshoots or “new shoots” according to Wick franchise star Ian McShane. McShane revealed that Chad Stahelski was brought in to “protect the franchise.” In an interview, he stated, “You know, it’s like, they’ve gotta protect the franchise. We did it about a year ago. And they’ve looked at it and Chad’s come in. And they wanna make it better cause they have to protect [the franchise].”
Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as a young woman with killer skills who sets out to get revenge when hitmen kill her family. As the film takes place in the John Wick universe, it will feature appearances from several franchise characters, including Ian McShane as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel, the late Lance Reddick as Charon, the Continental’s concierge, and Anjelica Huston as the Director, the head of the Ruska Roma. The film will also include Catalina Sandino Moreno, Gabriel Bryne, and Norman Reedus in unknown roles.