The John Wick universe is set to expand next year with the arrival of Ballerina. One of the stars of the John Wick spin-off is Norman Reedus. The actor is no stranger to long-running franchises, having starred as Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. For someone as experienced as Reedus in action scenes, even he took his bumps while filming Ballerina.
Reedus recently described what it was like to work on Ballerina. Based on his comments, the spin-off will channel the “visually stunning” action of the John Wick franchise.
“It was painful,” Reedus said in an interview with Collider. “I just got back from Budapest where we added more fight scenes to it. So, I went from Japan to Budapest, back to Japan basically. It’s high-octane. It’s a cool story, it’s well-acted, visually stunning, but it’s just like bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.”
What to Expect in Ballerina?
Ana de Armas is the titular star of John Wick Presents: Ballerina. De Armas plays Rooney, a ballerina hellbent on finding the murderers who killed her family. Rooney was first introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, with Unity Phelan playing the character.
Several notable names from the action franchise will appear in Ballerina, including Keanu Reeves as John Wick, Anjelica Huston as “The Director,” Lance Reddick as Charon, and Ian McShane as Winston Scott. Gabriel Byrne will play the antagonist. Reedus, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and David Castañeda will appear in undisclosed roles.
Ballerina is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4.
John Wick Presents: Ballerina is directed by Len Wiseman from a script written by Shay Hatten, Michael Finch, and Emerald Fennell. Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, and Chad Stahelski will produce.
Ballerina was supposed to come out on June 7, 2024. However, the film underwent reshoots in February 2024, pushing the theatrical release to June 6, 2025.