Ana De Armas Dances Into The World Of John Wick

Keanu Reeves’ John Wick might not be among the living after “John Wick: Chapter 4,” but there’s no keeping a good assassin universe down. The Ana de Armas-starring “John Wick” spin-off “Ballerina” (full, awkward title: “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina”) will be here on June 6, 2025, and fans of the main movie series’ inventive fight scenes and visual language can expect one serious action feast. They can also expect to see many of the familiar power players in the franchise. Folks like the Director (Anjelica Huston), Winston (Ian McShane), and Charon (Lance Reddick, who died in 2023) will all feature in the movie — and since “Ballerina” takes place before the events of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” Reeves’ master assassin is set to drop by, as well.

The first “Ballerina” trailer introduced us to all of this, along with de Armas’ protagonist Eve Macarro and a cavalcade of new supporting characters like Norman Reedus’ Daniel Pine and Gabriel Byrne’s Chancellor. It also offered glimpses at the various inventive methods of mayhem the movie intends to unleash, ranging from flamethrowers to ice skates. Now, a new trailer is out, giving fans an even closer look at “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina.”

After a painful countdown event that lasted about 40 minutes and featured a guy shooting a flamethrower at a block of ice (??), the new “Ballerina” trailer arrived. The biggest takeaway? The folks marketing this flick really want you to know this is a John Wick movie. While Keanu Reeves’ John Wick is dead and buried, “Ballerina” serves as a bit of a prequel, which enables the filmmakers to bring Reeves back. The question is: how big is his role? Based on this trailer, John Wick has a major part to play here — he’s apparently sent to kill Ana de Armas’ character Eve. But I’ll be honest: I think this is a bit of trailer trickery. While Reeves is splashed all over this trailer, I’m willing to guess his role in the film is small — little more than a cameo.

And look, I get it: Reeves is the face of this franchise. The “John Wick” movies aren’t enjoyable for the action and world-building alone. They’re enjoyable because we like to see Keanu Reeves at the center of all of that stuff. With that in mind, putting him front and center in this trailer makes a whole lot of sense. But will folks be disappointed when they see the final film and learn Reeves’ part is (probably) much smaller than what’s being shown here? I guess we’ll find out!

“Ballerina” shoots its way into theaters on June 6, 2025.