John Wick Presents: Ballerina (Delayed Full Year to June 6, 2025 for "Reshoots")

Lionsgate has won a bidding war to pick up a female-centric spec action script titled Ballerina that will serve as a platform for a possible John Wick spinoff.

Basil Iwanyk, whose Thunder Road banner is behind the hit Wick action franchise starring Keanu Reeves, will produce Ballerina.

While Lionsgate is relishing the idea of a franchise expansion, the screenwriter behind Ballerina is living out a Hollywood dream.

The deal marks the first sale for Shay Hatten, a 23-year-old scribe who idolizes Shane Black (Lethal Weapon) and is currently working as a writer's assistant for Robert Downey Jr.’s production company, Team Downey. Hatten has been on an upward Hollywood trajectory since graduating from Loyola Marymount’s School of Film and Television in 2016. He snagged an internship at Team Downey while writing a black comedy script, Maximum King!, in his spare time, and that script led to representation at CAA and ended up on last year’s Black List and Blood List. Hatten was then upped by Downey to writer's assistant, providing script notes and coverage on the company's many projects while tackling what would become Ballerina on nights and weekends.

Ballerina has been described as being in the vein of La Femme Nikita, the 1990 female-centric assassin movie that helped launch the career of filmmaker Luc Besson, but with a more pulpy, hyper-stylized bent a la Quentin Tarantino or Matthew Vaughn.

Details are being kept under the tutu, but the story is known to center on a young woman raised as an assassin who must hunt down the other assassins that murdered her family.

The script hit the studios last week, with Warner Bros. and Universal also vying for it, according to sources. Lionsgate saw in it potential to further grow its Wick franchise (a third movie is now in the works).

Hatten’s Maximum King! is a black comedy that takes a fictional look at how in 1985 Stephen King wrote and directed his horror movie Maximum Overdrive.

Iwanyk is a producer on The Current War, the upcoming movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon that is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Also on his résumé is Wind River, the Jeremy Renner thriller that serves as the directorial debut of Hell or High Water writer Taylor Sheridan.

UltimateMarvel wrote:This franchise is such a success, we gotta make a female version. Damn you Hollywood! And now they're throwing out ideas about a female Bond. WTF?

Tyger wrote:Not everything is like the Ghostbusters reboot ya know

WyldeMan wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:This franchise is such a success, we gotta make a female version. Damn you Hollywood! And now they're throwing out ideas about a female Bond. WTF?

They just announced Bond 25 last week and that sack of shit Daniel Craig is returning. They still brought that cunt back even after all his "slit my wrists" shit talking. Fuck Bond and his Martini weak sauce franchise, I'll take a lady hitter over his Limey ass any day of the week.

UltimateMarvel wrote:You hate him for saying that? He was partially joking and this role can be demanding, I don't blame him. I don't care what he said, I like Craig as Bond. Him coming back is a good thing.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I suppose it depends on the actress but it's all the same reasoning. Atomic Blonde is pretty much a female John Wick, there was no need for this.

WyldeMan wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:This franchise is such a success, we gotta make a female version. Damn you Hollywood! And now they're throwing out ideas about a female Bond. WTF?

They just announced Bond 25 last week and that sack of shit Daniel Craig is returning. They still brought that cunt back even after all his "slit my wrists" shit talking. Fuck Bond and his Martini weak sauce franchise, I'll take a lady hitter over his Limey ass any day of the week.

Rusty wrote:But they're not making a female version of John Wick. They're making a movie about a female assassin that may be set in the same universe as John Wick. A universe that revolves around hired killers. One being female is not such a stretch.

It's not like it's going to be called Joan Wick.

ForeverBlu wrote:

Rusty wrote:But they're not making a female version of John Wick. They're making a movie about a female assassin that may be set in the same universe as John Wick. A universe that revolves around hired killers. One being female is not such a stretch.

It's not like it's going to be called Joan Wick.

ITA.

You guys sounds like the DW fanboys whining about the new Female Time Lord.

Rusty wrote:But they're not making a female version of John Wick. They're making a movie about a female assassin that may be set in the same universe as John Wick. A universe that revolves around hired killers. One being female is not such a stretch.

It's not like it's going to be called Joan Wick.

UltimateMarvel wrote:True. But they wouldn't have made this if it was a couple of years ago, just saying. I call it like I see it. Guess we have to agree to disagree.

Tyger wrote:Oh shit, Abe just got Caged

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has set Len Wiseman to direct Ballerina, an action spinoff of the lucrative John Wick franchise.

Ballerina focuses on a young female assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family. The picture is on a fast track, with a script by Shay Hatten, whose credits include the Zack Snyder-directed Army of the Dead for Netflix, and John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum.

The picture is produced by Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, with Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski also involved in producing roles. The character was glimpsed in the last John Wick film and it isn’t clear at this point whether Reeves will be in the film though if he does it will be a cameo. Unity Phelan is in the credits of Parabellum under the character Ballerina, but I am not sure who will be the star of the spinoff.

The film takes center stage even as Lionsgate ramps up John Wick 4. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum has generated more than $323 million worldwide at the box office. In home entertainment, it is the highest grossing home entertainment title Lionsgate has released in more than 5 years. Ballerina will be overseen at Lionsgate by James Myers

Wiseman launched his star as a filmmaker with another female-driven action franchise, the vampire/werewolf Underworld series. Wiseman also directed Live Free or Die Hard, a spirited continuation of Bruce Willis’ Die Hard series. He has most recently been engaged in directing series which range from Hawaii 5-0 to Lucifer, Sleepy Hollow, The Gifted and Swamp Thing.

joey con carne wrote:I kind of want to check out Army of the Dead. Ana De La Reguera is in it along with Wylde's fave wrassler Dave Bautista.

I can always watch a good zombie movie.

joey con carne wrote:Good for Shay Hatten, too. Dude's what, 25 now? and he's got some nice credits under his belt. Sure, he's only got a 'screenplay by' credit for Juan Wick 3 but that's pretty cool.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s one that’s sure to heat up the impending AFM. Knives Out and No Time To Die star Ana de Armas is in talks to take the lead role in anticipated John Wick spinoff Ballerina, about a young female assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family.

The character made a fleeting appearance in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum as a ballerina who is also training to be an assassin.

As we previously revealed, Len Wiseman (Underworld) is aboard to direct the action-thriller, whose script comes from Shay Hatten, known for Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

The movie re-teams John Wick studio Lionsgate with producers Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Chad Stahelski (the John Wick franchise director will instead be a producer on Ballerina). We hear budget would be somewhere in the $50-80M range. It remains unclear whether Keanu Reeves will make a fleeting appearance in the movie, though there is a hope that he and Anjelica Huston may provide cameos.

De Armas’ star is high right now and there are multiple big-scale projects that could come together for her. The Golden Globe nominee is currently in post-production on Netflix and the Russo brothers’ $200M action pic The Gray Man, and the same studio’s long-awaited Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde.

Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa are overseeing Ballerina for Lionsgate, whose international sales division is bringing a bumper crop of movies to the virtual American Film Market next week.

Among them are John Wick 4, which is still available in a handful of territories. The fourth installment in the lucrative Keanu Reeves franchise is due to be released next May.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s John Wick universe is currently expanding with TV series The Continental.

Ian McShane has booked a return visit to the Continental Hotel.

The actor is set to star opposite Ana de Armas in Ballerina, Lionsgate’s feature set in the universe of the John Wick action movies.

McShane will reprise his role as Winston, the manager of the Continental, the fan favorite hotel for assassins which houses its own set of rules and consequences for breaking them.

Production began Monday with Len Wiseman in the director’s chair and Shay Hatten at the keyboard. Plot details involve a young woman with killer skills who uses said skills to get revenge when her family is killed by hitmen.

Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Wick director Chad Stahelski are producing.

Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.

McShane has become a steady hand in the Keanu Reeves-led Wick movies, bringing a steely calmness at the center of a hail of bullets and whirlwind of fists. The actor is also reprising Winston in John Wick: Chapter 4, which will be released in theaters worldwide March 23, 2023.

McShane was recently seen as Mr. Wednesday in the Starz Neil Gaiman series American Gods, on which he also acted as exec producer. He also recently voiced a role in Netflix’s animated film My Father’s Dragon.

Source: THR

Keanu Reeves In Talks To Reprise ‘John Wick’ Role For Liongate Spinoff ‘Ballerina’

Keanu Reeves is expected to make an appearance as John Wick in “Ballerina,” a female-centric spinoff in the popular action franchise.

Lionsgate, the studio behind the series, declined to comment on Reeves’ casting, but the company confirmed that Ian McShane has closed a deal to reprise his role as Winston, the manager of the Continental Hotel in the upcoming movie.

“Ballerina” stars Ana de Armas as a young female assassin who seeks revenge against those who killed her family. Any additional plot details remain a mystery, but producer Basil Iwanyk described McShane’s role as “pivotal.” It’s not clear how Reeves, should his deal close, will fit into the story.

“We’re thrilled to have Ian McShane joining us for a pivotal role in ‘Ballerina,” Iwanyk said. “He’s been such an integral part of the franchise since the original John Wick. It’s been fun to have him on this journey as the Wick universe expands.”

“Ballerina,” directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten, is currently in production. Along with Iwanyk, producers include Erica Lee, and Chad Stahelski. Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.

Before “Ballerina” twirls to the big screen, Reeves and McShane will return to kick ass and take names in “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which is due in theaters on March 24, 2023. The first three installments in the action-heavy vengeance franchise have been commercially successful, grossing a combined $587 million worldwide.

Source: Variety

Lance Reddick has signed on to star in Ballerina, the new film set in the John Wick universe.

Reddick will reprise his role as Charon, a concierge at the Continental, the fan-favorite hotel for assassins with its own set of rules and severe consequences for breaking them. Production is already underway on the feature that is being toplined by Ana de Armas and directed by Len Wiseman.

Shay Hatten wrote the script and the plot involves a young woman (de Armas) with killer skills who uses said skills to get revenge when her family is killed by hitmen. Angelica Huston and Ian McShane are also joining Reddick as John Wick veterans back on the call sheet for Ballerina.

The producer credits are shared by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Chad Stahelski. Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa are overseeing the project for Lionsgate. 

“Charon is an indispensable part of the world of Wick. It’s great to know that Lance will continue to make his mark on this franchise,” Lee said in a statement. Reddick recently appeared in the seventh and final season of Bosch and in Netflix’s Resident Evil series.

He also voiced a role for Netflix’s animated Farzar. Reddick’s upcoming roles include the Shirley Chisholm biopic Shirley, starring opposite Regina King and for writer-director John Ridley, and White Men Can’t Jump.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate‘s John Wick spinoff Ballerina starring Ana de Armas will be delayed a year from June 7, 2024 to June 6, 2025. The move comes as John Wick architect Chad Stahelski has inked a new deal with Lionsgate to oversee the franchise. He’s working with Ballerina director Len Wiseman on additional action sequences for the movie, to amp it up even more than it is.

Advance tracking is already hot on Ballerina, Lionsgate just wants to make the feature, produced by Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee’s Thunder Road even better. Currently, the Ballerina stands alone on her new summer 2025 date.

 Now, there’s nothing for exhibition to fret, for the Rupert Sanders’ redux of The Crow will be taking over Ballerina‘s summer date of June 7 this year. Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role of The Crow in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right. Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jordan Bolger also star. Pic was penned by Zach Baylin and Will Schneider, based on the graphic novel. The Crow is produced by Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks, Samuel Hadida, and Edward R. Pressman.

Also bowing on June 7 is New Line’s horror movie, The Watchers, from Ishana Night Shyamalan.

In more good news for January 2025, Lionsgate is adding an untitled Guy Ritchie directed movie to Jan. 17 — MLK weekend. However, Amazon MGM Studios already has an untitled Jason Statham film there. Who will blink? The latest Ritchie movie reteams him with stars Henry Cavill and Eiza González following their upcoming Lionsgate film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, (which is coming out on April 19 this year). Also dated for MLK weekend 2025 is Sony’s Paddington in Peru. If all movies stay in January, that brings the current count for wide entries up to six titles, which is one more than January 2024’s five wide releases.

"Readers and subscribers to EmpireCityBO's madness feed have known this since October!  Anyways, the movie is such a mess they basically have to re-shoot the entire thing and Chad is going to be overseeing all of it."

NEW at #CinemaCon Ballerina is set between John Wick 3 and 4. They previewed a GREAT piece. Keanu confirmed! The official title is John Wick Presents: Ballerina. It’s delayed a year because they are adding a bunch more action.