John Wick: Ballerina Spinoff Delayed Amid Lionsgate Release Date Shakeup

The future of the John Wick franchise is going to be a little further away than fans expected. After four films and a streaming limited series, the John Wick saga is going to continue with Ballerina, a film that spins off the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The Ana de Armas-starring spinoff has been a highly anticipated title amongst action fans, and Lionsgate had planned to release it this summer. On Wednesday, however, that changed, as Ballerina was pushed to 2025.

According to Deadline, Ballerina has abandoned its June 7th release date for a big screen debut on June 6, 2025. Some could see the delay as bad news, but this is a situation where the extra year actually seems to be a great thing. John Wick director Chad Stahelski is coming on to the spinoff to help film some "additional action sequences" before its release.

Len Wiseman, Ballerina's director, is an experienced filmmaker, but only Stahelski has been able to conjure the kind of action the John Wick films have become known for. He's the industry's action auteur, and the fact that he's going to be hands on with Ballerina is a very good sign for the movie's future.

After delivering four commercially and critically successful John Wick movies (after an incredible careers in stunts), Stahelski signed a new deal with Lionsgate that put him over the entire John Wick franchise. He's now the action saga's architect, and it's clear he wants Ballerina to stand up to the quality fans have come to expect from John Wick.

By moving Ballerina to 2025, Lionsgate had an open date in the middle of the summer, and the studio is already filling it with another potential IP hit. The studio moved its reboot of The Crow to the June 7th date, taking Ballerina's place. A remake of the 1994 cult classic that starred Brandon Lee, this new take on The Crow stars Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven, a man who returns from the dead to get revenge for his late lover. The film also stars FKA twigs, Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jordan Bolger. Zach Baylin and Will Schneider wrote the screenplay and Rupert Sanders directed the film.

So Lionsgate gets a substantial title to release in the summer of 2024, while also giving Stahelski time to make Ballerina the best film it can be. Sounds like a real win-win.