Ana De Armas Will Take Center Stage In John Wick Spin-Off Movie, Ballerina
Update: It's been confirmed at CinemaCon that Ana de Armas will, indeed, star in the film. The original story continues below.
Ana de Armas is in talks to be in the "John Wick" spin-off, "Ballerina"! This is not a drill!
The star of "Knives Out" and "No Time To Die" has become one of genre film fans' favorite leading women, and according to Deadline, she's a possible contender to star as a young female assassin seeking revenge against those who killed her family. "Ballerina" is written by screenwriter Shay Hatten, who also contributed to both the screenplay for Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead" and "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum," in which the ballerina character is referenced. As was previously announced, "Ballerina" is being directed by Len Wiseman, known for "Underworld" and "Live Free or Die Hard."
In "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum," the ballerina is shown at the academy run by Anjelica Huston's character, The Director, and was played by New York City Ballet principal dancer and actress Unity Phelan ("I'm Thinking of Ending Things"). While it's understandable why producers would want a more well-recognized actor for the lead role, it's hard to imagine that Phelan won't be invited back at least to show off more of her remarkable dance skills. It would make sense canonically for Anjelica Huston to appear in "Ballerina," as well, but this has not yet been confirmed.
Bottom line, if we get Ana de Armas and Anjelica Huston together in an action revenge thriller, all will be right with the world.
The Rising Star of Ana de Armas
Ana de Armas got her start acting in her home country of Cuba before relocating to Spain, but made her English-speaking debut in the horror film "Knock Knock," also starring John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves. Two years later, she wound up on genre fans' radar after playing the artificial intelligence holographic partner Joi (a name that is too brilliant to measure), in "Blade Runner 2049." However, it was her starring role as Marta Cabrera in Rian Johnson's masterpiece, "Knives Out," that solidified her star power and made her one of the hottest rising stars in Hollywood.
The Golden Globe-nominated actress is the latest James Bond flick, "No Time To Die," and is currently in post-production on the Russo Brothers' action film, "The Gray Man," for Netflix. She's also set to star in the highly-anticipated Marilyn Monroe biopic, "Blonde," where De Armas will play the iconic bombshell.
we are not ready for Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe pic.twitter.com/Khbg9jSJcy
— Ana de Armas Updates (@ArmasUpdates) August 2, 2020
Her ability to kick serious ass in "No Time to Die" is likely what put her on the radar for "Ballerina," but de Armas also showed off her action skills in the lesser-known films "Overdrive," and "The Informer."
Considering "Ballerina" is still in the early stages of pre-production, it'll be a while before we have a release date. In the meantime, "John Wick: Chapter 4" is set to release on May 27, 2022.