John Wick: Ballerina Spin-Off Add Catalina Sandino Moreno

John Wick: Chapter 4 is finally hitting theatres next year, and the Keanu Reeves-led franchise is continuing to grow. Starz is working on The Continental, a prequel set decades before the original films, and Lionsgate has a Ballerina feature that recently went into production. The spin-off film is set to star Ana de Armas (Knives Out, Not Time to Die) and will see the return of Anjelica Huston as The Director from John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The movie is being helmed by Len Wiseman with a script from Shay Hatten. Last month, it was confirmed that Reeves will be appearing in the project as John Wick and that Ian McShane will be reprising his role in the film. Today, it was also revealed by Lionsgate that the movie has added Catalina Sandino Moreno, who was previously nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Maria Full of Grace.

"One of the challenges of casting Ballerina is making sure that the new roles are played by actors with as much power, emotional presence, and physical skill as Ana has. After working with Catalina on John Woo's Silent Night, it was clear that she belonged at the top of our list, and it's a thrill to be reuniting with her," producer Erica Lee explained.  

When Is John Wick: Chapter 4 Being Released?

The wait for the fourth John Wick movie has been a long one thanks to the pandemic, but the Keanu Reeves film is finally hitting theatres on March 24, 2023. The movie will feature some exciting new additions to the cast, including Donnie Yen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Bill Skarsgård (It and It Chapter Two) as well as Japanese-British pop star Rina Sawayama. During a recent interview with Variety, Sawayama talked about working with Reeves and had nothing but praise for the iconic star.

"I really love the process of doing something I've never done – learning to read scripts and getting into a character. But I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing myself onscreen in that way, to be honest – it's a very different vibe to 'I need to look hot in my music video.' The camera gets so close you can basically see your pulse, it's crazy, crazy close. I watched a preview and I freaked out because it was so f*cking weird."

Sawayama added, "But Keanu was amazing, and exactly what you think he'd be like, so chill. But he looked after me in loads of different ways, very much behind the scenes – not telling me that he was doing something for me, but making sure that it was done. Although him being one of the executive producers means that he had a hand in casting me, so that was really crazy to comprehend."

Stay tuned for more updates about the John Wick franchise.