John Wick: Chapter 4 Teases Timeline of Ballerina Spin-Off

John Wick: Chapter 4 is now playing in theaters, and in addition to getting rave reviews, the movie is expected to do well at the box office. While it's still unclear if there will be a fifth installment to the franchise, Starz is working on The Continental, a prequel set decades before the original films, and Lionsgate has a Ballerina feature that recently wrapped production. While Ballerina has been billed as a spin-off, the events of John Wick: Chapter 4 have led us to believe the movie might also be a prequel. Warning: John Wick: Chapter 4 Spoilers Ahead! 

Previously, it was announced that Keanu Reeves will be appearing in Ballerina as John Wick along with Lance Reddick as Charon. However, both John and Charon died in John Wick: Chapter 4. While the actors could be a part of the film in a flashback capacity, we're inclined to believe the movie takes place before the events of the John Wick films. In addition to Reeves and Reddick, it has also been confirmed that Ian McShane will be reprising his role as Winston in the film, and Anjelica Huston will be returning as The Director from John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. 

What Happened To John Wick 5?

Now that John Wick is seemingly dead, it's unclear if Reeves or director Chad Stahelski will be making another film. The fourth movie was originally supposed to open in 2021 before the pandemic set back production. Not only was the movie pushed back, but the folks behind the scenes also had to alter their original plan to film the fourth and fifth movies together. In an interview with Total Film (via CBR), Stahelski explained why they opted not to film John Wick 4 and John Wick 5 back to back.

"I didn't feel good about doing 4 and 5 collectively," Stahelski shared, explaining that it would require a 200-day production, which he felt would be too much for the cast and crew. However, Stahelski says a fifth movie is still incoming. "Keanu calls it the John Wick fever," Stahelski joked. "You haven't done John Wick for two years and you're like, 'We gotta go do something!'"

"In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment. We're going to give John Wick a rest," Stahelski recently shared with The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm sure the studio has a plan. If everyone loves it and it goes kooky, then we'll take a quiet minute. Wicks always, for some weird reason, always get the latest release date in Japan. It's always like, three months later. If it's the same this time, we'll do a Japanese tour and release the movie in September. Keanu and I will take the long trip to Tokyo, we'll sit in the Imperial Hotel Scotch Bar and go, 'What do you think?' We'll have a couple 20-year-old whiskies and write some ideas on napkins. If those ideas stick, maybe we'll make a movie."

Stay tuned for more updates about Ballerina.