Full spoilers ahead ahead John Wick 4.
John Wick is back! Well, sort of. You see, the first trailer for Ballerinathe next spin-off project set in the Johannes Wick universe, Keanu Reeves’ iconic assassin will see a surprise return to the big screen.
Confused? Don’t be. I’ll explain more later on how and why everyone’s favorite gun-fu master will be playing a role in the upcoming Ana de Armas-led action film. Hey, this isn’t a movie that focuses on Wick himself, so why let him steal the spotlight in this article?
Anyway – yes, the first trailer for Ballerina: from the world of John Wick is here, and it looks every bit as exciting, action-packed and dramatically character-driven as the first four films of the franchise. You can watch the first teaser from one of next year’s new films – set to hit theaters on June 6, 2025 – below:
I can’t speak for everyone, but it looks very impressive from where I sit. Indeed, I was quite disappointed that we didn’t see more of De Armas taking names and kicking ass in 2021 No time to dieaka the last time Daniel Craig played the role of legendary spy James Bond, or in The Gray Man on Netflix. I didn’t see the Cuban-Spanish actress beating up guys left, right and center on the maligned version of Apple TV Plus Spooky neither did the movie, because I heard it wasn’t that good. So I’m eager to see De Armas prove she has the mettle to deliver the goods as the main attraction in an action movie.
But enough of my groveling – what is that? Ballerina about? Here’s a quick synopsis of the plot, courtesy of a Lionsgate press release: “Takes place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellumthe film follows Eve Macarro (de Armas) as she begins her training in the killer traditions of the Ruska Roma.
So there’s not much to tell, but the trailer suggests that Macarro will embark on her own revenge-driven mission to track down those who murdered her family. She says as much in the film’s first teaser, so expect plenty of bone-crushing, bullet-laced, and improvised action throughout.
How does John Wick live in Ballerina?
Okay, so back to the question on everyone’s lips: what is Wick doing here Ballerina? After all, these are the last moments of John Wick: Chapter 4 implied that the titular assassin died after his tear-jerking and tense duel with Donnie Yen’s Caine.
The short answer is that Ballerina is a sequel. As Lionsgate’s short storyline shows, the story runs parallel to the one depicted in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. As obvious as it is to say, but Wick is still very much alive at this point Johannes Wick timeline, which is why he may make a cameo appearance in the Armas-fronted spinoff film.
Reeves’ Wick isn’t the only favorite character we’ll be seeing again Ballerina. The late Lance Reddick, who passed away in March 2023, will also make his final big-screen appearance as Charon, the janitor of the New York branch of global assassins collectively known as The Continental. Ian McShane’s Winstone, who manages The Continental New York, also returns for this spin-off film. De Armas and the aforementioned trio in Ballerina are joined by Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Norman Reedus.
Ballerina is the first Johannes Wick film offshoot we will see, but it is not the first spin-off of the franchise. That was indeed the case The Continentala three-part miniseries that debuted in late 2023 on Peacock (US) and Prime Video (international).
Unfortunately, The Continental: from the world of John Wick wasn’t as great as I had hoped. You can read why that is the case in my review of The Continentalor see how the prequel show tried to do something different by trading John Wick’s signature gun-fu for expressive “disco noir.”
