John Wick spinoff Ballerina has been delayed a whole year, but instead of being a bad sign, it will help it avoid The Continental’s mistakes.
The forthcoming John Wick spinoff Ballerina has been delayed a whole year, but that will only help it avoid the issues the last spinoff faced. On the surface, the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 appeared to signal the franchise itself was done, but that isn’t the case at all. It feels like only a matter of time (and money) before John Wick: Chapter 5 gets a greenlight, but in the meantime, Lionsgate is trying to expand the universe beyond Keanu Reeves’ titular assassin. The first big test of its viability will be the Ana de Armas fronted Ballerina.
John Wick: Chapter 4 Official Trailer (Trailer)
Directed by Len Wiseman, Ballerina follows Rooney, a character briefly seen in the third John Wick movie. Ana de Armas replaces Unity Phelan in the role, with Rooney seeking revenge for her murdered family while remaining under the protection of the New York continental. The spinoff will mark the first entry in the film series not helmed by Chad Stahelski, though a Deadline report announcing Ballerina has been pushed to June 2025 confirms Stahelski will be overseeing additional action sequences.
Ballerina’s Additional Action Scenes Will Help It Beat The Continental
The absence of John Wick series architect Chad Stahelski was missed in this 2023 prequel
The Continental
CastJessica Allain , Colin Woodell , Hubert Point-Du Jour , Nhung Kate , Ben Robson , Mel Gibson , Mishel Prada , Jeremy Bobb , Peter Greene , Ayomide AdegunRelease DateSeptember 22, 2023Seasons1Streaming Service(s)PeacockFranchise(s)John WickDirectorsAlbert Hughes , Charlotte Brändström
This announcement could be seen as a sign of trouble with the movie, with the franchise’s original helmer being brought aboard to help save it. On the contrary, Lionsgate seems to be happy with Ballerina in its current form, they just want to make it even better.
Lionsgate could also be gunshy about Ballerina’s odds following the mixed reception to 2023’s The Continental . This 1970s set prequel charted how young Winston (Colin Woodell) came to run the hotel for assassins, but the show disappointed fans of the saga.
The three-part series was overseen by a different creative team to the movies – which showed in the final product. The Continental told a story that didn’t need to be told and lacked the style and iconic characters of the film series. It still had some decent action, but The Continental’s best action sequences could barely hold up to anything seen in Stahelski’s work.
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The director’s input in the prequel was sorely missed, which likely played a role in Lionsgate’s decision to have him film additional scenes for Ballerina. The setpieces in the John Wick movies are events, and while Len Wiseman has a background in action movies (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard), there’s a certain style to the way Stahelski frames action that’s hard to replicate – as The Continental proved.
Why Ballerina’s Release Delay Isn’t A Problem
The John Wick spinoff could benefit from extra time
Ballerina began filming near the end of 2022, so the delay to 2025 will be disappointing news to some. Still, it’s rare in the world of big-budget franchises for a studio to choose to delay a project instead of pushing it out as fast as possible. Most films could benefit from extra time in post-production, and Ballerina is no different. If anything, the push will only help the spinoff feel more in line with the John Wick saga, with Stahelski putting his own stamp on the production.
There are no signs of Ballerina being a troubled production, and if anything, the delays signal Lionsgate’s confidence in the film and its potential. The studio very much wants to keep the franchise alive, and it’s not realistic to think Keanu Reeves can front sequels indefinitely. The world of the John Wick series is a vast one, so if there’s any hope of expanding the movies beyond Wick, Ballerina needs to be as polished as possible.
Can Ballerina Be John Wick’s Replacement?
John Wick who?
It should be noted that Reeves’ Wick plays a supporting role in Ballerina, though if the character is an ally or enemy of Rooney hasn’t been revealed. In a sense, this could seen as Reeves passing the torch to de Armas, or at the very least, giving the spinoff his seal of approval. Time will tell if audiences take to Rooney the same way they did to Wick. The latter series was lightning in a bottle, relying heavily on its star’s unique charisma and talent for fight sequences.
Ana de Armas has impressed with her action skills in the likes of No Time to Die, and it’s about time she earned a franchise of her own. Ballerina can build organically on the groundwork laid by the previous films, before branching off in its own direction with future sequels. It’s impossible to know if viewers will take the Ballerina movies over further John Wick sequels, but at least from Lionsgate’s perspective, they’re going to give the spinoff its best possible shot.
