Deadline reports that No Time to Die star Ana de Armas is in talks to take on the lead role in John Wick spinoff Ballerina. If the actress closes the deal, she'll play a "young female assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family." The character made a brief cameo appearance in John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum, but was played by real-life ballerina Unity Phelan.
Len Wiseman (Total Recall) is set to direct the movie, while Shay Hatten (Army of the Dead) penned the screenplay. The trade notes that there are hopes Keanu Reeves and Anjelica Huston will make cameo appearances, but nothing has been confirmed on that front at this early stage.
After a scene-stealing performance in Knives Out, De Armas is making a name for herself in the action realm. She recently impressed with a small, but memorable role in No Time to Die as Paloma and has wrapped work on the Russo Brothers' highly anticipated new Netflix movie The Gray Man.
A fourth John Wick movie is set to be released next year, and this has quickly become one of Lionsgate's biggest franchises. It's no wonder, then, that the studio is keen to develop this spinoff, and we're definitely excited at the prospect of De Armas kicking ass and taking names in a movie like Ballerina.
In our recent review of No Time to Die, we said: "Ana de Armas’ Paloma is another character deserving of the spotlight; she’s a breath of fresh air for a film like No Time to Die, and it’s a shame she doesn’t get more screentime as every second we do get to spend with her is an absolute joy."
Talks are ongoing, so we'll be sure to let you know how this story progresses.