Ana de Armas’ Ballerina boasts a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and while it isn’t close to what the OG films have received, it has still proven itself as a commendable addition to the John Wick franchise. The movie follows the story of Eve Macarro, a ballerina training as an assassin to avenge her father’s death at the hands of the Cult.
While the film itself keeps you engaged, things are taken up a notch when a familiar face shows up: Keanu Reeves. Now, Ballerina is set between the events of John Wick 3 and 4, which makes sense considering the fact that the assassin “died” in Chapter 4. The question is, will the spin-off directly influence the next chapter in the main franchise, especially after Keanu Reeves’ cameo? Let’s find out what the director has to say about it.
What’s in store for Ana de Armas’ Eve?
While some filmmakers take the bigger picture into account, hell-bent on creating a connected fictional universe, Len Wiseman knew he had the prioritize the project he was working on, i.e, Ballerina.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wiseman was asked if he knew what the future holds for Ana de Armas‘ Eve, the young girl with a bounty on her head. Turns out, while he may have a “fantasy-type” idea about it all, he was just focused on the film he was making.
He stated, “In fantasy-type thinking, yes, but I really just concentrated on this film. I wanted this film to be the best that it could possibly be.”
However, this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t wonder where the story could possibly go next. He sure has a theory somewhere in his mind. Wiseman agrees that while you’re working on a character, you have to take into account their story taking place before and after the events of the film.
He said,
Often, when I am asked that, I’ll say, ‘No, I want to wait and see what happens.’ And that’s true to a point, but when you’re developing something and you get so immersed in a character, you have to build out what their story is before and after the movie you’re making. That’s how you really understand the character, so that’s always on my mind.
So even though Wiseman has thought about what may be in store for Eve, he doesn’t have a definite answer just yet. And if that’s the case, it also means that there are no plans for Ballerina‘s ending to directly influence John Wick 5.
Will Ballerina affect John Wick 5?
In April, Lionsgate chair Adam Fogelson announced that they were developing John Wick 5, with Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski returning to their respective positions. Here is everything we know so far.
Is John alive? Will he just be a flashback? We don’t know. But what we do know is that Ballerina‘s ending wasn’t made to influence the next chapter of the franchise.
Talking to THR, Wiseman stated that his film’s ending was left “ambiguous” for a reason. He has his theory about “where it goes” and would love for it “to continue, but there is no definite answer at the moment.
When asked if the studio demanded to create an ending that would allow John Wick 5 to pick up where it left off, Wiseman simply admitted, “no, not at all.” Well, there’s your answer.
Ballerina is currently in theaters. Stream the first three John Wick films on Peacock Premium. John Wick: Chapter 4 is available to rent/buy on Prime Video.
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