John Wick Star Anjelica Huston Returns for Ana de Armas' Ballerina Spinoff
The John Wick spinoff Ballerina has officially added another franchise alum. On Monday, reports indicated that Anjelica Huston is set to reprise her role as The Director in the upcoming live-action action film. Production on Ballerina, which will star Ana de Armas as the titular assassin, is currently underway. The film is directed by Len Wiseman, and will also see the return of Keanu Reeves as John Wick and Ian McShane as Winston.
"The idea of Ballerina was formed around the scenes with Anjelica in John Wick 3," producer Erica Lee said in a statement. "Anjelica Huston is an icon and is nothing less than Hollywood royalty. The world of Wick is always made richer by her commanding screen presence."
What is Ballerina about?
Rumors have indicated that Ballerina will see the titular retired ballerina assassin pulled back in by the murder of her family. Based on the lore established around Houston's The Director in the third John Wick film, fans had assumed that it would tie into the Ruska Roma, a Russian ballet school that is a front for training elite assassins, in some way.
The screenplay for Ballerina is written by Shay Hatten, and the film is produced by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, and Chad Stahelski. Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.
"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," Stahelski told THR in a previous interview. "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."
"[Wiseman] had a take that he wanted to pitch to Basil about how Ballerina fit into the John Wick world and how he could really spin it and put his taste on it," Stahelski added. "So, Basil and Thunder Road heard the pitch, and they wanted me to hear it. So, I went to dinner with Len, and he pitched me on his ideas and what he wanted to do with it. I already think he's a really good director, and I think he gets the tone. I think he understands action, and I think he's got a good visual style. And right off the bat, I was like, 'Oh, we've got to get this guy. He gets it.'"
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