Female-Centered "John Wick" Spinoff Film "Ballerina" Currently In Development, Len Wiseman to Direct

Lionsgate

Looks like the John Wick universe is expanding, and a mysterious leading ballerina will be of service - or against the service?

On October 8, Deadline exclusively confirmed that a female-centered John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, is currently in development and will be directed by Len Wiseman. Although Lionsgate had voiced interest in developing Ballerina since July 2017 when it acquired the screenplay written by Shay Hatten, the spinoff film is currently in the works and on a fast track following the success of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and the much anticipation of the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4, which will be released on May 21, 2021.

Per Deadline, the upcoming female-centered John Wick spinoff will focus on "a young female [ballerina] assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family", and who briefly made a cameo in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum as a ballerina performing for the Director part of the Ruska Roma society, and was played by New York City Ballet soloist Unity Phelan. It still hasn't been confirmed whether Phelan will return to play the unnamed assassin ballerina, or if John Wick star Keanu Reeves will appear in the spinoff film, though if so it's expected to just be a cameo.

Lionsgate

Ballerina will be directed by Len Wiseman, who directed Underworld, Underworld: Evolution and Live Free or Die Hard starring Bruce Willis, and produced by Basil Iwanyk through Thunder Road Films and Erica Lee, as well as John Wick film series director Chad Stahelski, and be executive produced by Keanu Reeves. The film will be developed from a script written by Shay Hatten, who co-wrote for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum as well Army of the Dead, which was directed by Zack Snyder and will be released on Netflix.

One of the qualities I have greatly enjoyed and loved about the John Wick films is the delicacy and creativity with which the action choreography throughout the films has been carefully orchestrated - similarly to a ballet, and which has been compared to a ballet - so it will be interested to see what different take, what known from the John Wick franchise, and even potentially what inspiration from ballet itself may be found in Ballerina. I'm also more than okay with its titular character getting a cat pal.

Sincerely, Dora Goto 

who may have been playing the John Wick theme song while writing this piece