From the World of John Wick: Ballerina spins a new thread into the franchise’s ever-growing tapestry – this time through the eyes, discipline and fury of a woman who is not only trained to kill but also determined to define what vengeance looks like on her own terms.
Directed by Len Wiseman and starring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, Ballerina is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, exploring a corner of the Wick universe previously hinted at but never deeply explored. Eve, a trained assassin from the Ruska Roma tribe, embarks on a journey of revenge after the death of her father, leading her through familiar criminal underworld corridors – and into battles that test both her endurance and her identity.
Unlike the stoic, emotionally-suppressed John Wick, Eve is allowed depth. She grieves, processes, and evolves – making her not just a gender-swapped iteration of the franchise’s namesake, but a newly realized, emotionally intelligent warrior. The film takes a bold step in female representation: Eve is written to be fierce without being objectified, elegant without being soft and powerful without mimicry. The choreography leans into her ballet training, weaving grace into brutality – delivering balletic fight scenes that are as creative as they are kinetic.
According to franchise producer, Erica Lee, the creative team brought in female voices, including screenwriter Emerald Fennell, to ground Eve’s story in authenticity and intention. De Armas herself brings both quiet rage and calculated precision to the role, distinguishing Ballerina from its predecessors while maintaining its violent heartbeat.
That heartbeat pulses through neon-lit shootouts, explosive set pieces and close-quarters choreography signature to the Wick name. There are nods to franchise staples – elaborate “gun-fu”, inventive weapons and dark humor – alongside returning characters like Keanu Reeves’ John Wick, Ian McShane’s Winston and Anjelica Huston’s Director. Still, they orbit around Eve, whose personal mission reframes familiar stakes with a fresh emotional weight.
The film’s pacing occasionally falters under the weight of its exposition and mid-story detours, and its revenge premise doesn’t radically innovate the genre. But it excels in world-building, exploring the Ruska Roma assassin school in greater detail and posing thoughtful contrasts to Wick’s own path of reluctant violence. Where Wick fights to leave the underworld, Eve chooses to survive in it – and possibly reshape it.
Ballerina is a confident, visually dynamic extension of the John Wick universe that celebrates female strength without compromising on franchise grit. Though the narrative isn’t as tightly wound as the original trilogy, it takes meaningful steps forward – proving that the Wick world has room for new stories, new perspectives and new icons.
