Len Wiseman, director of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, breaks down the confrontation between Eve Macarro and John Wick in the spinoff film. In an interview with ComicBook to promote Ballerina (out in theaters June 6th), the filmmaker shed light on his approach to crafting the fight sequence so that it lived up to the expectations of fans. Wiseman noted that there was a lot of prep work that went into putting the set piece together, including sketching bits out ahead of time. He wanted to ensure the sequence left an impression on audiences by emulating one of Hollywood’s classic genres.
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“I wanted it to feel like a Western showdown,” Wiseman said. “I remember first just drawing it out … that first image, I wanted it to feel like a Western showdown. It’s really in designing, drawing it up, I’ll sketch everything out first … but it was really important that it had an impact.”
Ballerina takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. The spinoff stars Ana de Armas as Eve, who is out on her own revenge mission. Though Eve is the main focus of Ballerina, marketing materials have made sure to highlight Reeves’ return as John Wick. The trailers set the stage for their confrontation, as John is called in to deal with Eve before she causes too many problems.
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After four increasingly successful mainline entries, Ballerina is the first spinoff in the John Wick franchise. Lionsgate has big plans for the property’s future. In addition to John Wick 5 starring Reeves, there’s also a spinoff about Donnie Yen’s Caine in development. Additionally, the studio is working on an animated prequel detailing John’s “impossible task” referenced in the original film.
It would be very easy for the Ballerina filmmakers to lean on John Wick as a fan service crutch, but it’s encouraging to hear Wiseman wanted to make the character’s role worthwhile. Staging John’s fight with Eve as a Western showdown indicates it’s included for reasons beyond the visceral reaction of seeing Reeves as the Baba Yaga again. It sounds like there are compelling story and character reasons for this set piece to happen. As Eve kills more and more people, going head to head with none other than John Wick could be the ultimate test of her skills and tenacity. Wiseman’s description of the sequence makes it seem like it takes place at an integral part of the film, and the fact that it is John Wick adds gravity to the situation.
Because Ballerina is told through Eve’s perspective, this will be an opportunity for audiences to see a familiar character through a different lens. At least when they first meet, John is the villain, trying to hunt down Eve to put a stop to her. That alone makes this a compelling addition to the franchise, putting a refreshing spin on something viewers have seen plenty of before. We all know how dangerous John Wick can be, which should make audiences concerned for Eve’s wellbeing. The trailers have offered intriguing tastes of what’s in store, and hopefully the final film delivers on the hype.
