John Wick Spin-off ‘Ballerina’: 2 Ana de Armas Films That Prove She’s a Worthy Successor to Keanu Reeves’ Baba Yaga
- Playing assassin Eve Macarro, Ana de Armas combines ballet with martial arts in 'Ballerina'.
- Ana de Armas' action-packed roles in 'No Time to Die' and 'Ghosted' demonstrate her ability to handle intense fight sequences.
- 'Ballerina' will take place between the events of 'John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum' and 'John Wick: Chapter 4'.
When John Wick first came out, it redefined the genre of action cinema in a way, thanks to its unique world-building and intense, well-choreographed action. Now, the world of John Wick is extending with Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas in the lead.
Ballerina is a spinoff of the John Wick movies, and as it will feature a female leading the intense action, it has already become a topic of interest as well as skepticism for many. However, Armas’ filmography reveals why she can live up to the legacy of Keanu Reeves’ Baba Yaga.
Why Ana de Armas Is a Good Choice for Ballerina
It looks like Ana de Armas is looking to diversify her filmography lately. The Cuban-Spanish actress made a name for herself in the Spanish entertainment industry before coming to Hollywood. Initially, she appeared in several crime thrillers and dark comedies where her glamour quotient was well appreciated by the audience.
However, Armas has been appearing in several action-based roles. In No Time to Die, she played a Bond girl who was also a CIA agent. Her most recent action-packed role came in Ghosted, where she played a secret agent.
With the experience of such roles, Armas already raises expectations from fans who are accustomed to seeing the hardcore Gun Fu action of John Wick. During the 2024 CCXP at São Paulo, BTS clips of Ballerina were shown where the cast and crew talked about Armas’ performance, and many viewers commented on their hopes by praising her previous work.
“Ana was so amazing in No Time To Die and Ghosted, I can’t wait to see her kick a** in this as well.”
“Yes!! I knew Ana could pull this off since No Time To Die! Looks like amazing performance.”
“‘John wick is the baba yaga, and Ana, she’s the baby yaga'” no truer words can be spoken“
“Although it was super short, Ana’s part in the last Jame Bond movie was the highlight. Right then you could tell she has the potential to do gun-fu/action with minimal cuts. I am super glad she can unleash it as a main character in her own solo movie, and what more a John Wick one.”
Keanu Reeves is known to be a practitioner of several martial arts and Armas is not far behind in taking her action roles seriously. In an interview with USA Today during Ghosted promotions, she mentioned how tough it is and why she likes to do her own stunts.
It’s demanding and painful and your body is hurting everywhere, but it’s also very rewarding as I saw myself getting better at it. Besides, it’s fun. And if I just go say my lines and someone else does the stunts, I’m missing that fun.
In Ballerina, Armas will be playing Eve Macarro, who is a ballerina training to be an assassin. The events of the movie will take place between the timeline of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4.
Ana de Armas Speaks About Her Role in Ballerina
Playing such a demanding role requires a lot of training and choreography, and everything has to go right at the moment of the shoot. In the BTS video, Armas playfully admits,
When I got the opportunity or the offer, it was really inspiring. I’m actually surprised that I came out of it in one piece.
The BTS footage and the trailer show how closely Armas’ character tries to resemble John Wick’s fighting style, which is a combination of martial arts and weapons. In an earlier interview with Collider, Armas talked about the reshoots and how they improved the film to be more in the realm of John Wick.
All we did in those reshoots had to be there. We got amazing footage. It’s really spectacular. A trailer is coming out soon, I’ve been told. I saw it, and it’s beautiful. I’m very proud of it. It’s really exciting. It’s dangerous, it’s sexy, it’s very John Wick. I think people are going to be surprised. I’m biased.
With a promising cast that includes Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Norman Reedus, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Gabriel Byrne, David Castañeda, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Anne Parillaud, the late Lance Reddick, and a returning Keanu Reeves, Ana de Armas’ Ballerina has already raised expectations from fans.
Ballerina will be released in theaters on June 6, 2025.
The John Wick movies are available to buy or rent on Prime Video.
