Lionsgate has announced Gabriel Byrne for the cast of Ballerina. The first spinoff of the John Wick movie series, Ballerina will star Ana de Armas as a skilled assassin seeking vengeance against the killers of her family. Also starring opposite de Armas in the film is Byrne, and while he’s playing a key role, details on his character haven’t yet been revealed.
“For decades, Gabriel’s mysterious and enigmatic presence has enriched dozens of films. You can never quite be sure what he’s thinking, and that’s perfect for this world,” producer Basil Iwanyk said of the casting.
Several other cast members have been announced in recent weeks. Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead and Oscar-winning Maria Full of Grace star Catalina Sandino Moreno will be making their debuts in the franchise with Ballerina. Anjelica Huston also returns as The Director, reprising her role from John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.
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Ana de Armas Gets Deadly in Ballerina
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While Ana de Armas is taking the lead for the spinoff, we shouldn’t expect for the film to be any less violent than the John Wick movies. It’s an aspect that has helped make the movies so popular, keeping the main series still going strong with a fourth film coming in 2023; there are also plans for a fifth installment. Over at Peacock, a prequel series dubbed The Continental is also in development, set decades before the events of the first John Wick movie.
John Wick director Chad Stahelski is producing the new film, Ballerina, alongside Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee while Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa oversee the project for Lionsgate. Len Wiseman directs and Shay Hatten wrote the screenplay.
Ballerina is now filming in Prague, but the film doesn’t yet have a premiere date. John Wick: Chapter 4 will be released on March 24, 2023.
