Anjelica Huston Is Officially Joining Ballerina, The Ana De Armas-Led John Wick Spin-Off
"John Wick" has always felt like a universe that's too big for a single set of films. One of the coolest things about the first film is how it not only told a very thrilling story of a former top assassin getting back into the game to avenge his wife and dog, but it also introduced this vast mythology for an assassin's league with their own structure, rules, and traditions. Just like "Star Wars" or "Lord of the Rings," even if we don't see much of it, you get a feeling there is a big world out there, and we're only exploring a part of it.
The promise of the films was always that we would one day explore a different part of the world than John Wick's crusade to get free from the yolk of the High Table. Now, we're finally seeing the franchise fulfill that promise with "Ballerina," the first spin-off film of the franchise.
"Ballerina" will follow a similar plot to "John Wick" (did we expect anything else?) and focus on a young female assassin seeking vengeance against those who dared kill her family. Though we don't know much else about the plot, we know the film is starring Ana de Armas as the titular ballerina, and Ian McShane is returning as the manager of The Continental hotel. Now, the film is adding Anjelica Huston back as The Director, providing another tie to the main film series.
The Director returns
According to a press release, Anjelica Huston is joining the cast of "Ballerina" to reprise her role as the head of the Ruska Roma crime organization, which offered John Wick aid in "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum" when he was trying to escape New York to avoid the hundreds of hitmen after him. Huston's The Director is responsible for training young dancers in the suffering of art, as well as teaching young fighters to be quite deadly. Production is now underway under filmmaker Len Wiseman, and Shay Hatten wrote the screenplay.
Erica Lee, one of the movie's producers, said:
"The idea of 'Ballerina' was formed around the scenes with Anjelica in 'John Wick 3.' Anjelica Huston is an icon and is nothing less than Hollywood royalty. The world of Wick is always made richer by her commanding screen presence."
This is not the only "John Wick" spin-off in development. There is also the upcoming TV prequel, "The Continental," which is set around the titular high-end hotel that serves as a safe-haven for all kinda of assassins and hitmen. The series takes place 40 years before the events of the films and will focus on a young Winston, who is working as a humble hotelier as he comes up with the idea to create a hotel for hitmen.