It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything about John Wick spinoff movie Ballerina, which was first announced in the summer of 2017 with Army of the Dead‘s Shay Hatten set to pen the script.
The bare bones of the story would follow a young woman raised in the franchise’s assassin underworld, who seeks revenge on the people that killed her family when she was a child. Underworld and Live Free or Die Hard‘s Len Wiseman was announced to direct in October 2019, but then the trail went completely cold.
However, Lionsgate must have become emboldened by upcoming expansions John Wick: Chapter 4 and prequel series The Continental, because Ballerina has come roaring back to life with one of the industry’s fastest-rising stars circling the lead role.
As per Deadline, Knives Out and No Time to Die‘s Ana de Armas is in talks to headline Ballerina, and her recent appearance in the 25th James Bond movie was a solid showcase for her ass-kicking credentials, even though her screentime was relatively brief.
The 33 year-old has controversial Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde and the Russo brothers’ Netflix blockbuster The Gray Man on the horizon, while headlining an action-packed John Wick spinoff would not only generate a lot more interest in Ballerina, but further her unstoppable ascent up the Hollywood ladder.