Set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019), Ballerina follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a ballerina-turned-assassin trained by the Ruska Roma, who uncovers secrets from her family’s past. 

Eve is a powerful, new voice in this world. She’s in a domain dominated by ruthless assassins, but she’s highly trained and seeks vengeance her way, ultimately changing the terms of her epic, adrenaline-fuelled quest. 

The film brings together familiar faces and exciting new characters. Returning icons from the John Wick world are: The Director (Anjelica Huston), the formidable leader of the fearsome training ground / ballet school, the Ruska Roma; as well as Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (Lance Reddick) as, respectively, the head and concierge of the hotel for assassins, The Continental New York. 

At the same time, we’re introduced to intriguing characters new to the franchise, including the mysterious Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus), with whom Eve has a fateful encounter at The Continental Prague; and The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the domineering head of a cult-like army of killers.

While Eve’s story is set in the world of John Wick, director Len Wiseman was intent on making her very much a singular character, with a perspective different from Wick’s. The filmmaker was already well versed in stylish world-building and in pushing the action to the limit, and he embraced the challenge of bringing to life a new character in a familiar universe.

“One of the things I really liked about the Ballerina script,” remembers Wiseman “is that it’s kind of the opposite of John Wick’s story. Wick is trying to get out of his life as an assassin; Eve is wanting in - she wants to be a killer. I was interested in exploring the circumstances under which someone chooses that life.”

Producer Chad Stahelski, who directed all four of the John Wick features and is the architect of the franchise, remembers that he began thinking that the John Wick universe could exist outside the central character when he came across an original script by a young writer, Shay Hatten, with a lead character who was a ballerina. The strong style and mix of action and revenge impressed the filmmaker and action specialist. “It was around the time when we were shooting John Wick 3 - Parabellum,” he recounts, “and I was big into ballet at the time. I was trying to put a ballerina sequence into the film, as part of the Ruska Roma, where John Wick comes from. I read Shay’s script and thought, ‘Oh, that kind of fits into this world.’”  

INTRODUCING EVE MACARRO 

One of the key elements to the success of the John Wick films is Keanu Reeves’s Zen-like charisma and unique athletic prowess, which have enabled the series to deepen Wick’s story and elevate the action to more spectacular levels with each chapter. 

A female-led story in the Wick world would require a similarly gifted performer. The filmmaking team handpicked de Armas to expand the world of Wick. From her previous work in Knock Knock (2015) with Reeves and No Time To Die (2021), they knew she could take on the physical and emotional role of Eve

“There was a kind of fire in Ana that I wanted to meet and work with,” Wiseman recalls. “At the onset, I told Ana that since Eve is just beginning her journey as an assassin, the character is going to, at times, get her ass kicked. Ana’s reply was ‘Cool. Okay, I’m in’. During production she’d show me her bruises from the action and stunts, and they became like merit badges.”

“She’s perfect for the role in many ways,” Wiseman shares. “What I love about this franchise series is that it is more of an actor-based action, and so we see the actors doing more of their own performance and choreography. And she was game with that.” Ana was more than game. She was all in. It wasn’t just the filmmakers who wanted the rigorous training, but Ana insisted on it. From day one, she pushed for intense combat training and practical stunt work to honour the John Wick legacy of precision in filmmaking and cutting-edge action.

“It was really intense training for quite a long time,” she says. “There was a lot of strength training and then just hours and hours at the stunt facility at 87 Eleven with the most amazing stunt crew. We just worked our way up to getting me ready to take on this kind of action at the level that I needed to be at. 

“It was a good progression of the training with that like from very basic things, which were a great foundation for the training and then you know getting more specific into designing the choreography and leaning into my strengths.” 

Reeves, who also worked with de Armas on Knock Knock, observed that “she’s a wonderful actress, so talented. And that inner strength and motivation, being able to draw that up and to show that in the stillness of the scenes that we had together. She’s quite a presence.” 

De Armas admired the John Wick films, but also knew that Ballerina was a story that could stand on its own. “We wanted Eve to be approachable and realistic. She had a very traumatic childhood that changed the lens through which Eve sees life.” 

Reeves echoed this sentiment, “there’s an innocence to the character, a strong passion and in a way, she’s still fighting in the same way that John Wick was for a kind of freedom, to get outside the forces that are impacting her life.” 

Adds Wiseman, “Eve is seeking many things at the Ruska Roma, and really finds herself there. We experience, with Eve, some new layers, and how that organisation works - this time from the point of view of someone who’s brand new to it and experiencing how to train and move up the ranks.”

YEAH, HE’S BACK … 

After reading the script, John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves, joined the project. Reflecting back on joining Ballerina, Reeves said “It was really cool after John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) to have the opportunity to put the suit back on and to have some fun. I love John Wick, and it was really special to play the role again.”

Keanu typically undergoes six months of intensive training before he’s ready to step onto a John Wick set ready to carry a dense action-packed film. But with Ballerina, Reeves had the unique opportunity to contribute significantly to the film without as much pressure - or pain.

“It was an interesting prospect for him because it’s Wick, but it’s not Wick,” says producer Erica Lee. As soon as he stepped on set, Reeves was “deeply involved like he always is” she adds. Reeves collaborated with Wiseman and contributed ideas by suggesting action sequences and tweaking dialogue, all of which enhanced the film. “No one knows John Wick better than Keanu,” says Wiseman. 

The new story, says Stahelski, also provides a different perspective on John. “If you go back to the first film, John is a bit of the bogeyman,” he notes. “So, it’s interesting to experience John from Eve’s perspective. He’s still John Wick, and still a force to be reckoned with, but in another way. It’s a slightly different Wick, because we’re seeing him through the eyes of Eve.”

SEE IT IN THE CINEMA 

Chad Stahelski summarises his closing thoughts by recalling an early scene in the first film, John Wick. “I remember when audiences experienced John burying his puppy, they went silent. I thought that was either really good or really bad. A little later, John transitions into full assassin mode, and the audience went nuts. I think there’s a great mix of big action and get-behind-Eve moments in Ballerina that will make you want to ride that same kind of roller coaster. 

And see it in a theatre; nobody wants to ride that roller coaster alone.” 

Ana de Armas agrees the film will deliver for longtime fans of the franchise. “I think they’re going to feel right at home,” she says. “They’re going to see this film and they’re going to feel like it’s a very organic extension of the franchise. It just feels like the perfect way of exploring this world from a different perspective. 

“Great action and set pieces…It’s just going to be a lot of fun and very exciting all the way through.”

Len Wiseman shares his appreciation for the action genre, and what he hopes to achieve with the film. “It’s part of a franchise, of course, which is always a bit of a challenge, because I wanted to create something new within that world that we all know. Ballerina is a new take - a different perspective - exploring a new character’s introduction to that world.

“Eve is transforming into an assassin, which is a different entry point than we’ve seen before,” Wiseman continues. “I think audiences are going to love how Ana plays Eve, and they’re going to have a great time embarking on this journey with her.”