Ana de Armasis out for blood in “Ballerina,” the upcoming spinoff to Lionsgate’s successful “John Wick” franchise. And she’s got a question for Keanu Reeves.
“How do I start doing what you do?” de Armas asks the legendary hit man. “Looks like you already have,” Reeves notes wryly.
The trailer that Lionsgate shared during its presentation to theater owners and executives at CinemaCon on Wednesday was heavy on ass-kicking, with de Armas’ assassin making short work of several assailants, torching a truck with a flamethrower, leaping from moving vehicles and engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat in a burning building. Think de Armas’ bone-crunching sequence in “No Time to Die” stretched over feature length with a much, much higher body count. She also dances, sticking a landing like Margot Fonteyn when not wielding firearms.
The movie unfolds between the events of“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum”and“John Wick: Chapter 4.” The film follows de Armas who plays a ballerina-assassin (that old chestnut!) hunting down the murderers of her family. Reeves’ appearance drew loud applause from the theater owners he’s made a lot of money for over the decades.
“Ballerina” surrounds de Armas with some familiar faces in the “Wick”-verse, including Lance Reddick, Ian McShane and Anjelica Huston, who have all appeared in previous installments. “There is an anger in you,” Huston observes of de Armas. “You seek vengeance on those who harmed you.”
Here’s betting de Armas gets it when Ballerina” opens on June 6, 2025.
