Keanu Reeves is the latest addition to the cast of Ballerina, an upcoming spinoff film that is set in the same universe as the John Wick films.
According to Collider, the actor will reprise his role as assassin John Wick in Ballerina, a role he originated in the 2014 film of the same name. His casting comes shortly after Ian McShane was confirmed to be returning as Winston, the manager of The Continental Hotel, for Ballerina. It is currently unknown how the two John Wick characters will factor into the spinoff's plot and how large their roles will be in the film.
Ana de Armas will lead the cast of Ballerina, with the talented actor portraying a young female assassin seeking revenge against the people who murdered her family. Len Wiseman will direct the upcoming spinoff film, which was first teased in the 2019 film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum through Anjelica Huston's character "The Director," the head of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate who oversees a program that trains young male wrestlers to be assassins and young ballet dancers to be femme fatales. It is unknown at this time if Houston will return as "The Director" in the upcoming spinoff.
John Wick Is Thinking He's Back
Ballerina will mark Reeves' fifth time portraying the master assassin after John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4, which is currently scheduled to open in theaters on March 24, 2023. Though plot details remain under wraps, Chapter 4 is expected to pick up after the cliffhanger ending from Parabellum, which saw a wounded Wick join forces with Laurence Fishburne's Bowery King to take on the High Table. Chad Stahelski, who has directed every installment in the main franchise, has previously stated that Chapter 4 is "a good continuation of all three previous films" while also acting as a "bit of a conclusion" for the titular assassin, who initially came out of retirement in the 2014 film to avenge the death of his puppy.
In addition to Reeves, John Wick: Chapter 4 will feature the return of Fishburne's Bowery King, McShane's Winston and Lance Riddick's Charon, who is the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York. New cast members to the franchise include Donnie Yen as Caine, Bill Skarsgård as Marquis, Scott Adkins as Killa, Hiroyuki Sanada as Shimazu, Shamier Anderson as Tracker and Rina Sawayama as Akira. Clancy Brown and Marko Zaror have also joined the cast in undisclosed roles.
Production is currently underway on Ballerina, which does not yet have a release date.
Source: Collider