Final Look at Ballerina Packs Style, Action, and Emotion

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina has less than a month to go before it hits theaters for the first time, and its shaping up to be a little bit of a triple threat with action fans. The Ana de Armas led spin-off is now in its third act of trailers, and the latest looks to pack a lethal punch.

Set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3  Parabellum, Ballerina finds the heroine introduced in that 2019 film taking center stage. After killing crime boss Santino DAntonio in the lobby of the Continental Hotel, John Wick was given the rare sentence of excommunication by the High Table. On the run with an eight-million-dollar bounty on his head, he eventually made it to the headquarters of the Ruska Roma crime family.

Directed by the enigmatic figure known only as The Director (Anjelica Huston), the Ruska Roma took John Wick in, but they also had a reputation for their young recruits. Ballerina, or girl assassins, were trained as ballerinas under the careful watch of The Director. In Chapter 3  Parabellum, audiences got a small tease of a girl rehearsing on the stage in her ballet outfit. Now we know her name is Eve Macarro, and Unity Phelan (Scream, Seizure) played her, though in Ballerina, Ana de Armas steps into the role.

The Ballerina spin-off has three familiar faces returning to the franchise for a fourth film after their three movies in The John Wick saga. Huston and Ian McShane as Winston, manager of the Continental Hotel, are back in this film, as well as the late Lance Reddick in what has been reported to be his last on-screen performance as the Continentals efficient and perpetually helpful concierge, Charon.

New faces in the film include Gabriel Byrne as the Chancellor, the main antagonist of the Ballerina spin-off. The Chancellor goes to great lengths to turn a whole town against Eve Macarro and is one of the films three big baddies. Sharon Duncan-Brewster will also star as Eves mentor Nogi. Norman Reedus, best known for his role in The Walking Dead as Daryl Dixon, will be playing Daniel Pine in the film. Catalina Sandino Moreno and David Castada will also star in the movie, though their roles remain a mystery for now.

Ana de Armas in the Title Role of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

The first trailer for Ana de Armas in the title role of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina was released in September 2024. The teaser gives audiences a glimpse at Eve Macarro and her backstory. Abandoned as a child, Eve only had one goal: to seek revenge against the man who murdered her father.

That first trailer suggested the film would be an intimate look at Eve Macarros journey, and there was only a brief cameo of John Wick himself. This fit the films early positioning, as one of Ana de Armas first roles in the franchise, as the focus was on her.

The second trailer, released in March 2025, went in a different direction, however, promising an action-packed first meeting between Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves in a snowy environment. It teased out more of the fight choreography and promise of more screen time for John Wick, but again, it was not as focused on Ana de Armas as the Ballerina title and lead role would suggest.

The final trailer for Ana de Armas in the title role of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina has now arrived, and its a return to form for Ana de Armas as the center of the John Wick universe. The film is equally Ana de Armas as it is Keanu Reeves, and this trailer puts that theory to the test. From the opening shot, the film is very much about Ana de Armas and her search for revenge.

The trailer picks up with Eve looking up in the sights of a rifle, and theres an instant tension as to who the shooter is. From there, the movie and trailer are a flurry of new and previously seen footage in a frantic montage of running and fighting. Ana de Armas takes on wave after wave of bad guys in a style weve seen before in the John Wick universe, with balletic fight choreography and brutality.

Ana de Armas not only stars in the title role but is fighting her way through each scene, often doing her stunts and being captured in slow motion as the action rages around her. There is even a line of dialogue that lets the audience know this will not be a passive revenge film, but one that involves wiping out her target, no matter how much work it takes: This isnt done until theyre dead.

Ballerina is Ana de Armas Story, but John Wick Is a Thread Through the Tapestry

The choreography of Ballerina is as tightly executed and purposeful as its forebears, with carefully lit scenes that look as good as they feel in motion. With John Wick in the background of the story, however, the signature feeling of the universe, revenge, survival, and no-messing-around are all present and accounted for.

What sets Ballerina apart, however, is a true feeling that this time the story belongs to Ana de Armas and her characters. Balancing action and emotion in a way that has become more prevalent in the John Wick universe of late, this feels like Ana de Armas time to shine. By working in John Wick as a touchstone and potential threat to the success of her plans, the film can retain the feeling of large-scale violence that audiences love while zeroing in on a much smaller emotional arc.