Ana de Armas in ‘The Gray Man.’ Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
Preview:
- ‘John Wick’ spin-off ‘Ballerina’ is moving back a year.
- The Ana de Armas-starring movie is adding some extra actions.
- Lionsgate is moving ‘The Crow’ re-imagining into the film’s slot this year.
Things are changing on the ‘John Wick’ spin-off front. While ‘Ballerina’, the Ana de Armas-starring new movie, had been scheduled for June 7th, will now move back a year.
But before you start worrying that the High Table has somehow found a way to hobble the main character, fear not: it’s for a good reason.
A young female assassin seeks revenge against the people who killed her family. Read the Plot
What is happening with the ‘Ballerina’ movie?
(L-R) Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves attend the Lionsgate CinemaCon presentation in support of ‘John Wick: Chapter Four’ at the Colosseum Theatre in Caesar’s Palace on April 28th, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
According to Deadline, the change is happening so the ‘Ballerina’ team can add in some extra action scenes.
Chad Stahelski, who has directed ever ‘Wick’ movie since the first, has been promoted to oversee the wider franchise for Lionsgate, and is now going to help director Len Wiseman with boosting the action quotient of the new movie. Which makes sense, since the ‘Wick’ films are always full of stunts and set-pieces.
What’s the story of ‘Ballerina’?
Anjelica Huston as “The Director” in ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.’ Photo: Lionsgate.
‘Ballerina’ will follow the Ballerina character, played by de Armas, glimpsed briefly (and there brought to life Unity Phelan) in ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ and tracks a young assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family. Which feels fitting for a ‘Wick’ movie.
Wiseman, who has worked on the likes of ‘Underworld’ and ‘Live Free or Die Hard’, directed the new movie, based on a script by Shay Hatten (who wrote ‘Chapter Three’).
The cast for the new movie also includes Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Gabriel Byrne, plus ‘Wick’ stalwarts Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane and the late Lance Reddick (since the majority of the movie was shot back in 2022).
Related Article: Keanu Reeves and Ian McShane will Appear in ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off ‘Ballerina’
When will ‘Ballerina’ be in theaters?
The action movie is now targeting a June 6th, 2025 release slot. Which might be a smart move, since it plants a flag on a date that is currently empty of competitors.
What is moving into ‘Ballerina’s old release slot?
Brandon Lee as Eric Draven / The Crow in ‘The Crow.’ Photo: Miramax Films.
If you’re wondering what you can watch instead of ‘Ballerina’, Lionsgate has a plan for that. The studio is moving the new version of ‘The Crow’ to the June 7th date this year.
Directed by Rupert Sanders, the new adaptation of the James O’Barr graphic novel stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven, who is brutally murdered alongside his soulmate Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) when the demons of her dark past catch up with them.
Soulmates Eric Draven and Shelly Webster are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing… Read the Plot
Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
The movie also stars Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jordan Bolger. But it’ll be under plenty of pressure, since the 1994 original is considered a cult classic. And the new movie will be up against Ishana Night Shyamalan’s (daughter of M. Night) horror pic ‘The Watchers’ on that June date.
Keanu Reeves as John Wick in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.