Finally, Ana De Armas' John Wick Spinoff Movie Has Erased My Biggest Concern (2024)

Just as I was getting more worried about Ballerina, Ana de Armas' John Wick movie has finally erased my biggest concern. When it was first announced that Ana de Armas would be headlining the first-ever John Wick spinoff, I was immediately excited about the potential for her to headline an action movie. The news came on the heels of her scene-stealing role in No Time To Die, which offered a glimpse at how capable she could be in another action-heavy role. However, concerns about Ballerina only grew the longer the movie went through development and encountered various difficulties.

What became especially problematic for Ballerina were the reports that the movie was not living up to expectations on the action front. The John Wick movies are known for excellent hand-to-hand combat and the unique gun-fu style fights that Keanu Reeves has perfected. Once reports surfaced that Ballerina needed reshoots to add in more action, I started to become worried that Ana de Armas' action movie could disappoint if it took Chad Stahelski stepping in to help fix current issues. While any story concerns might still exist, recent comments have calmed my nerves elsewhere.

Ballerina's New Action Scenes Sound Like A John Wick Movie

The Reshoots Appear To Have Worked

The reason why I'm no longer worried about Ballerina's action scenes is because the new ones added in reshoots appear to have delivered. Norman Reedus was the first to tease the improvements that came with the new fight scenes by saying, "It was painful." The realistic pain and exhaustion of fighting has become something John Wick movies do better than most action franchises. Now, Norman Reedus' Ballerina action scene tease suggests that this element will carry over into the spinoff.

My excitement for Ballerina's action scenes increased even more after Screen Rant's recent interview with David Castañeda. The Umbrella Academy star was specifically brought in to be part of the reshoots. Castañeda confirmed Ballerina's stunts are everything audiences would expect from the John Wick franchise. He described them as "intricate" and mentioned that there are "a lot of one-takes." The previous John Wick movies have incredibly detailed fight choreography and typically include at least one memorable one-take fight. Ballerina's new action scenes give the spinoff the same level of craftsmanship and execution, making them very exciting.

Ballerina's Reshoots Clearly Benefited The Spinoff's Action Scenes

Reshoots Aren't Always Bad

Hearing a bit about how Ballerina's action scenes from the reshoots turned out is particularly encouraging. It is easy to jump to the negative sides of what reshoots mean for movies, which is primarily what happened when reports about Ballerina's delay and planned reshoots surfaced. I've seen how badly that can go wrong with major franchise films before, but the reason for the additional photography on the John Wick spinoff came from a good place. Stahelski wanted to ensure that Ballerina did not disappoint audiences on the action front and maintained the standards of the overall franchise.

Instead of calling it quits after principal photography and trying to make the action scenes better in the edit, Ballerina's reshoots made it possible to add entirely new stunts and fight sequences. Considering reactions to Ballerina footage at CinemaCon in 2024 were mostly positive when it came to the fight scenes, there now just appears to be more of them, and possibly even better ones. Ballerina's original action scenes may have been good and well done, but adding more of them or improving existing ones is a great example of how reshoots can help a movie reach its full potential.

Ballerina Can Be A Worthy John Wick Spinoff If Its Action Scenes Work

If Ballerina's action scenes are as great as those involved suggest, then I have full confidence in the film delivering on its initial excitement. There is plenty of pressure riding on Ana de Armas' movie as the first John Wick spinoff. It has to be an event that audiences thoroughly enjoy and feel satisfied by the stunts if the franchise is going to continue to expand beyond Keanu Reeves' character. In many ways, how great Ballerina is and how much I ultimately enjoy it will come down to the quality and quantity of the fight scenes.

That is why I was so worried that Ballerina's fight scenes being weaker than the John Wick movies could negatively impact the film. Reedus and Castañeda's comments have helped erase that concern for now. Ballerina will be more than worthy of being the franchise's first spinoff movie, and Ana de Armas will be well suited to replace Keanu Reeves, if the action scenes ultimately deliver on this hype. Even if the main story or the new characters are weaker than in previous installments, at least the movie will be entertaining in its action.

Ballerina

Not Yet Rated

Action

Thriller

Director

Len Wiseman

Release Date

June 7, 2024

Writers

Shay Hatten , Emerald Fennell

Cast

Ana De Armas , Anjelica Huston , Gabriel Byrne , Lance Reddick , Catalina Sandino Moreno , Norman Reedus , Ian McShane , Keanu Reeves