Spoilers for Ballerina are below!
Summary
When does theJohn WickspinoffBallerinaoccur within the universe, and how significant is Keanu Reeves' role? TheJohn Wickfranchise has announced plans for several spinoff projects from Reeves' action series. The first wasThe Continentalminiseries, which aired on Peacock and was met with a middling reception. However, theJohn Wickfranchise has also announced movies, with one focused on Donnie Yen’s Caine still in development, andBallerinain theaters now.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerinastars Ana de Armas as the titular dancer, Eve, who is out to get revenge for her father’s death. She’s raised by the Ruska Roma, led by Anjelica Huston’s Director, and trained to be a deadly assassin. However, after running into the same group that took out her father, she goes rogue, which sees even the Ruska Roma sending John Wick to stop her. The film is directed byUnderworldandLive Free or Die Harddirector Len Wiseman, andfeaturesJohn WickstarsKeanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick in one of his final roles.
Given howJohn Wick: Chapter 4plays out and that Reeves is inBallerina, the question arises: When does it occur? Furthermore, is Reeves' role merely a cameo, or does he actually have a reasonable amount of screentime?
When DoesBallerinaTake Place In TheJohn WickUniverse Timeline?
The central revenge mission inBallerinasees Eve on the hunt for a cult of assassins that executed her father for attempting to take her away from them. While the film packs some unique twists and turns, it delivers on the actionJohn Wickfans have come to expect, seeing Eve hold her own in the world of skilled assassins. The movie spans several years after the opening sequence and picks up with Eve training with the Ruska Roma, but not yet a full-fledged killer. However, this is also whenBallerinadefines its placein theJohn Wicktimeline.
During Eve’s training sequence, John Wick arrives at the theater to ask for the Director’s help.Ballerinafeatures scenes directly fromJohn Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Brief moments are seen, like Wick having his back branded, and he even stops to have a short conversation with Eve. While the movie doesn’t linger on these events long, it does establish thatBallerinatakes place during the events ofJohn Wick 3. Shortly after her encounter with Wick, Eve succeeds in her final test and becomes an assassin. Her path ultimately sees her encounter Wick again, which indicates that he can pull away from his journey a second time, which is harder to define, but still likely within the events ofChapter 3when the character is traveling between countries.
How Much Screen Time DoesJohn WickStar Keanu Reeves Have InBallerina?
Keanu Reeves hastwo scenes inBallerina, with more dialogue than the character seems likely to deliver after the actor wanted it whittled down inChapter 4.The first scene in which Wick appears is the aforementioned meeting with Eve.She asks him about becoming an assassin, to which he offers some advice before continuing with his agenda. The scene only lasts about a minute, but it establishes the timeline. It also feels like this initial meeting was the only intended appearance of the character, as his second scene feels like a potential reshoot to add him into more of Ballerina.
The second scene sees Wick dispatched to stop Eve on her rampagethrough the village where the cult of assassins resides.John Wick lays out the termsto Eve, asking her to stop, which prompts a fight between the two. Eve can hold her own, and through their bout, she convinces Wick to give her time. He agrees to hold off until she completes her mission, with him hanging back as a sniper watching the action from afar. He even gets embroiled in another fight with some of the cult members, which he dispels with ease before helping Eve with one well-placed bullet.
The final time Wick is seen inBallerina, he calls the Director to inform her of the status of events following Eve’s blood-soaked tirade through town.While it still isn’t a substantial amount of time, Reeves does get another 10 to 15 minutes of screentime, which elevates his role well beyond a cameo. It also helps cementBallerinawithin the universe, allowing things to continue, even if Reeves never returns.
Does Ana de Armas’BallerinaHave A Fighting Chance For A Sequel?
Ballerina’sfuture will ultimately live and die with box office returns. Its opening weekend kicked things off with big numbers, as its worldwide total hit a reported $51 million. Reviews for the movie are also positive across the board, as critics andaudiences are enjoyingBallerina. Rotten Tomatoes even shows it holding a 93% audience score, which ties the franchise high ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4.
Given all the current positive evidence,Ballerinaseems likely to continue.The movie ends on a similar note to priorJohn Wickentries, putting Eve in a fight for her life as the credits roll. While no word of a sequel has yet been announced, the next project is still in active development, with Donnie Yen said to be directing the spinoff starring his blind assassin Caine, who was introduced inJohn Wick: Chapter 4. The future looks bright for the world ofJohn Wick, withBallerinain a prime position for a sequel that could be announced as box office returns continue to accrue.
