Ana de Armas' John Wick spinoff movie, Ballerina, is set to begin filming this summer. In recent years, the Cuban actress has enjoyed a steady rise to stardom with roles in Blade Runner 2049, Knives Out, and No Time to Die. And she shows no signs of slowing down. De Armas' upcoming roles include Norma Jeane/Marilyn Monroe in Blonde and Dani Miranda in Joe and Anthony Russo's star-studded spy-thriller for Netflix, The Gray Man.
Another one of her intriguing upcoming projects is the John Wick spinoff film titled Ballerina, which is being directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard) with a screenplay by Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Army of the Dead). The story will follow de Armas as a female assassin dead set on seeking revenge against those responsible for killing her family. As revealed in 2019's Parabellum, Angelica Huston's character, The Director, grooms’ young ballerinas to be assassins in the same facility where John Wick was trained, laying the foundation for the spinoff.
Now, the John Wick spinoff movie has received a major update. First announced during Lionsgate's presentation at CinemaCon and shared on the event's official Twitter account, Ballerina is set to start production this summer, though an exact target date was not revealed. At the time, de Armas remains the only confirmed cast member.
In addition to the Ballerina news, the first footage from John Wick: Chapter 4 was also screened during the studio's CinemaCon presentation, showcasing Keanu Reeves' return as the titular hitman and his new weapon of choice – nunchucks. Since the first John Wick found success in 2014 and spawned a film series centered on Reeves' character, the franchise has often been credited with revitalizing the action genre and to no surprise, has inspired numerous spinoffs. Other than Ballerina, a Starz series focusing on the formative days of The Continental is also in the works.
Ballerina does not yet have a release date, though its shooting schedule would suggest it is targeting a summer 2023 release at the earliest.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is slated to hit theaters on March 24, 2023, so de Armas' deadly ballerina won't get her time to shine on the silver screen until sometime after that. In the meantime, fans can see de Armas in a number of movies to help hold them over, starting with The Gray Man on July 15, followed by Blonde and Ghosted on later dates. -CBR
