Ballerina is making us wait after a year-long delay, but at least we now have the first trailer for the John Wick spin-off to enjoy while we wait.
In February 2024, the movie – officially titled From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – was pushed back to June 2025. It's the first of two spin-off movies in the works, alongside one about Donnie Yen's Caine who was introduced in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Lionsgate released the first trailer for Ballerina in late September 2024, giving us the first look at Ana de Armas as the new assassin in this universe.
Ballerina won't take place after the devastating ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 though as it's actually set between the third and fourth movies, meaning we'll be getting an appearance from the Baba Yaga himself.
John Wick Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 co-writer Shay Hatten is on scripting duties alongside Emerald Fennell and Michael Finch, and Underworld director Len Wiseman is behind the camera.
Now that we have the trailer, here's everything you need to know about Ballerina.
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Ballerina release date: When is Ballerina released in cinemas?
Ballerina will be now released in cinemas on June 6, 2025 after a year-long delay, assuming there's no further delays.
As mentioned above, the movie was set to arrive on June 7, 2024, but was pushed back in February 2024.
The movie filmed from November 2022 to February 2023, before reshoots took place in February 2024 with John Wick director Chad Stahelski working with Wiseman on additional action sequences.
If you need a John Wick fix right now, spin-off series The Continental – featuring a younger version of Winston – is available to watch right now on Prime Video in the UK.
Ballerina trailer: Watch the Ballerina trailer here!
Following its exclusive debut at CinemaCon in April 2024, the first trailer for Ballerina was released on September 26, 2024.
The trailer revealed the first look at Ana de Armas in action in several brutal-looking set pieces, as well as the cameo of Keanu Reeves as the Baba Yaga himself.
If you missed it above, check it out below:
Ballerina cast: Who's set to star in Ballerina?
Ana de Armas will play the titular Ballerina, Eve Macarro, who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
The star did, however, have one, crucial stipulation before signing on: "It was really important for me to hire a female writer, because to that point when I got involved in the project, it was only the director, Len Wiseman, and another guy.
"And I was like, 'That's not going to work'. So I interviewed, like, five or six female writers. We hired Emerald Fennell, which I was so proud of."
She's also been teasing the action we can expect in the spin-off which sounds like it'll live up to the John Wick movies: "That is gonna be really another level. That movie was really demanding!"
Ian McShane will return as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel, and he spoke to CinemaBlend about working with Ana de Armas on the movie:
"The character Ana plays is from John Wick 3, from the ballet school – which they've expanded upon that," he said. "I was in Prague last, what was it? Last November? December? We have a long scene together and she was great."
Meanwhile, Anjelica Huston will reprise her role as The Director from Chapter 3. New additions to the world include Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus.
Ballerina will also feature one of Lance Reddick's final performances, as the Charon actor tragically passed away on March 17, 2023.
The actor had previously told CinemaBlend: "I had a short scene with her. But I mean, she's just so dynamic. And I mean, I wasn't there for any of the action, but given what I read in the script, it's gotta be a hell of a film."
During the reshoots in February 2024, The Umbrella Academy star David Castañeda and Dune's Sharon Duncan-Brewster joined the movie.
We don't yet know who Castañeda is playing, but the trailer revealed that Duncan-Brewster is playing an assassin trainer.
John Wick Ballerina cameo: Will Keanu Reeves return?
At Chapter 4's SXSW premiere in 2023, Reeves confirmed that he will indeed feature in Ballerina, though he didn't elaborate on whether he'll be a central part of the action or appear only as a cameo.
The film marks the third time Reeves and de Armas have worked together, following Knock Knock (2015) and Exposed (2016).
De Armas, however, did tease that the duo will at least fight alongside (or against?) each other.
She said: "Keanu and I were rehearsing our very difficult stunt scene, and this man is just rolling and throwing me and doing crazy stunts. And I'm like – I can't complain anymore. Because he is doing it! He truly is the best."
The trailer revealed John Wick and Eve Macarro meeting. She asks him, "You're him, the one they call Baba Yaga. How do I start doing what you do?" and he replies: "Looks like you already have."
Ballerina plot: What's Ballerina about?
Even though we have the trailer for Ballerina, plot details are still a bit thin on the ground, other than we know Eve Macarro is out for revenge against somebody who killed her father.
The movie will follow her training at the ballet school run by The Director which is really a front for a training ground for assassins. It was thought that we saw Eve before at the school when Wick visited it in Chapter 3.
However, that ballerina-assassin was Rooney (played by Unity Phelan) so unless Eve has a name change during the movie, it appears that was another ballerina-assassin she might be hanging out with.
The movie has been called "dangerous" and "sexy" by lead star Ana de Armas who also reassured fans after the reshoots were announced.
"Every time they say you have reshoots, it's not good. You don't feel good about it," she admitted. "All we did in those reshoots had to be there. We got amazing footage. It's really spectacular.
"I'm very proud of it. It's really exciting. It's dangerous, it's sexy, it's very John Wick. I think people are going to be surprised. I'm biased. Of course, I like the movie, but I think it's really cool. It's going to be amazing."
Ballerina arrives in cinemas on June 6, 2025.
