Ballerina: John Wick Spinoff With Ana de Armas Will Begin Filming This Fall

The John Wick spinoff movie Ballerina starring Ana de Armas will reportedly begin filming this fall. That production update for the John Wick franchise was embedded in a new profile on Ana de Armas, who is currently courting Oscars buzz for her daring performance as Marilyn Monroe in Netflix’s new biopic Blonde. Specifically, Variety noted that Armas is getting set for “Ballerina, a John Wick spinoff, which she will shoot this fall.” Ballerina will be directed by Underworld’s Len Wiseman, with a script from John Wick: Parabellum writer Shay Hatten. John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski will be producing the spinoff. 

Ana de Armas said in the interview that she’s looking forward toward Ballerina, but hopes to add more counterbalance to the handful of other action films she’s done in recent years. That list includes the massive productions of  the Russo Bros. The Gray Man and James Bond’s No Time to Die, both of which feature Armas playing bombshell badass espionage agents.

“Without me planning on it, I’m doing all these action films that are fun but touch me in a different way,” Armas said. I hope that now I can start balancing both things, because it has felt very one-note. I’ve done too many together.”

Ballerina will presumably build of the mythology revealed in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – namely that of John’s adoptive mother The Director (Anjelica Houston), who runs the Ruska Roma, a Russian ballet school that is a front for training elite assassins. Rumors have pointed to a story that sees the titular retired ballerina assassin pulled back in by the murder of her family – possibly having to battle an entire village or community of thugs and killers to get revenge. If true, it’s a John-Wick-meets-Kill-Bill premise a lot of fans will be able to get behind. Ana de Armas stole her scenes in Gray Man and No Time to Die – now is the perfect time for whole to get the whole spotlight in Ballerina. 

“Having him [Ballerina director Len Wiseman] on board and approaching some of the action design from a slightly different perspective, meaning the set pieces, the character involvement, how and what he wants to do during the action sequences, makes it kind of fresh,” Chad Stahelski previously told THR. “So, we’re not just copying ourselves over and over again with gun-fu or something like that. And because the character is different, we’re going to get a different take on things. But as far as the level, the competence or the style of action? Yes. I plan to be there to assist whenever I can. And our 87eleven stunt team will be very actively involved in helping Len in all his action needs.”

Ballernia will begin shooting this Fall.