It’s undeniable that Keanu Reeves, director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter/creator Derek Kolstad have put together one hell of a crowd-pleasing action franchise with the quadrilogy of “John Wick” films that keep turning out to be financial successes for Lionsgate. As the prospect of “John Wick 5” is less clear despite the strong box office returns of the recent installment, they are going to keep fans happy with a handful of spinoffs on the way, including the series prequel “The Continental” that is expected to debut this September and a feature film starring Ana de Armas as Rooney, an assassin/ballerina from Wick’s criminal syndicate (The Ruska Roma) looking for revenge after hitmen kill her family.
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An official release date has now been announced by the studio via THR as “Ballerina” will be hitting the big screen on June 7, 2024. The spinoff directed by Len Wiseman (“Live Free or Die Hard”) is set during the six months between the events of the last two “John Wick” movies, which explains why it will feature cameos from Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and the late Lance Reddick in his final performance in the franchise. Others joining de Armas on the action flick include “Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston reprising her Ruska Roma character The Director, Gabriel Byrne (“The Usual Suspects”), and French actress Anne Parillaud (“La Femme Nikita”).
While Stahelski is only a producer on the spinoff, they were able to wrangle “John Wick 4” screenwriter Shay Hatten and stunt coordinator Stephen Dunlevy (action sequences being a massive draw to these films). So, as some might be discouraged that Wiseman, best known for the “Underworld” films, is dipping his toes into the “Wick” universe, plenty of established players are involved. Not to mention, Oscar-winning screenwriter Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) gave the script a polish ahead of filming. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine the studio aiming to keep making “Ballerina” sequels as surrogate “John Wick” sequels while Reeves and Stahelski take a much-deserved break to focus on other projects. Stahelski is currently mulling over what film he’ll do next. Those options include Sony’s samurai pic “Ghost of Tsushima” (based on the acclaimed PlayStation video game) and the long-gestating “Highlander” reboot at Lionsgate that had Henry Cavill attached for a lead role.
A second untitled spinoff film has been teased by franchise producer Erica Lee while chatting with Collider. However, it’s unclear who the potential candidate would be, although there have been some indications from Lee that the two characters that might be contenders are Rina Sawayama’s Akira and Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King. Donnie Yen, who plays the blind assassin Caine, has also hinted to Variety about potential talks for a spinoff as well. We’ll have to wait and see what the next spinoff film ultimately is when it’s officially announced.