The world of John Wick is on the brink of getting several new entries, which include the next story of the titular hero John Wick: Chapter 4, as well as a television prequel spin-off called The Continental. Among these upcoming projects is the upcoming spin-off film Ballerina starring Ana de Armas. Now, the cast of the project grows even larger as Lionsgate has revealed that two-time Emmy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne will star in the film opposite de Armas.
Byrne's character is being kept under wraps for now, though in the world of John Wick it is likely he will be someone with some sort of violent past and present. The award-winning actor is most known for his leading role in the series In Treatment, which netted him two Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as a win at the Golden Globes in 2009 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Television Series. His next project along with Ballerina will be as Samuel Beckett in the biopic Dance First by The Theory of Everything director James Marsh. Along with the announcement of Byrne's casting, producer on the film Basil Iwanyk said, “For decades, Gabriel’s mysterious and enigmatic presence has enriched dozens of films. You can never quite be sure what he’s thinking, and that’s perfect for this world.”
What is known is that the film and its story is that it will center on de Armas' character, who is a young assassin who is trained at the Ballet school seen in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The story sees her set out on a quest for revenge against those who killed her family. Series star Keanu Reeves also gave some insight into the film during CCXP, revealing that it takes place between John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, and provided a description of the upcoming film's narrative:
"[she is a] woman who has some very difficult circumstances and who's looking for revenge. Whoever killed her- someone killed her father. Who could that be? And so it's her journey for actually understanding her past. She lost her father at a young age, and she doesn't really know what happened. Only that someone came into the house and killed her father, who had a tattoo. And as we know in John Wick, if you have a tattoo, something's going on."
The Rest Of The Ballerina Team
Ballerina's production is currently underway and is set to be directed by Len Wisemen and written by Shay Hatten, writer of 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Along with Basil, the producers of the project are Erica Lee and Chad Stahelski with Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa overseeing the project for Lionsgate. Byrne joins an all-star cast that includes the previously mentioned de Armas as well as an appearance from Reeves as John Wick, Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Norman Reedus.
There is currently no word on when we can expect to see Ballerina hit theaters, but we do know that John Wick: Chapter 4 will arrive on March 24, 2023, in theaters. You can check out the trailer for the next entry in the action franchise down below.