Warning: SPOILERS ahead for John Wick: Chapter 4.John Wick: Chapter 4 producer Erica Lee has detailed how cameos from John Wick characters in Ballerina will fit into the upcoming film. A spinoff set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina will see Ana de Armas take on the role of Rooney, a ballerina assassin in the Ruska Roma School hunting down the people who murdered her family. The movie is set to feature cameo appearances from multiple characters within the flagship John Wick series, including Keanu Reeves as John himself.
Speaking with Collider, Lee explains how the John Wick universe cameos in Ballerina will play into the spinoff film. She teased that Wick's in particular would be an extended cameo, hinting at him having a decently-sized role in the movie. Check out what Lee had to say below:
Ian has a little bit more to do, and John Wick is an extended cameo. He shot for about a week. Lance shot for a day. Those were last minute adds in a way, too. How do we merge the worlds a bit more, so there's a bit of more of brand continuity? Because obviously, she's a ballerina in the Ruska Roma School, so that was having Anjelica [Huston] as The Director was always an organic way in, and she always did check into a Continental. But then it was fun to have Ian and Lance come. I didn't know if Keanu was going to do the movie. I think we had always hoped he would. Then the timeline thing became a thing because we were still in post on ‘John Wick 4,’ and it was like, is he dead? Is he not? Is he dead? Yeah, let's do this, so it makes sense chronologically and gives us a minute to figure it all out.
How John Wick Cameos Can Fit Into Ballerina's Story
Lee's description of the John Wick cameos expected in Ballerina indicate they will be there in order to fully establish the film in the John Wick universe. While the late Lance Reddick's Charon and Ian McShane's Winston won't be in the film for long, their presence indicates Rooney will visit the Continental at some point during the movie. Their presence can also help fill in the gaps as to what the pair were up to before the events of John Wick: Chapter 4.
Reeves' return as John Wick will likely be emotional due to the character's death at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4. With John having been trained by the Ruska Roma when he was younger, his extended cameo can also offer some clues as to how his past with them played out. These ideas can then be related to Rooney, her upbringing, and her mission, showcasing a passing of the torch of sorts as she sets out on her own quest for revenge.
Huston's return as The Director hints at her having an important role in Ballerina, but the small amount of available information means what she does in the film would be nothing but speculation for now. Perhaps The Director's pledge of fealty to the High Table following the Adjudicator's visit in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum will tie into Rooney's decision to hunt down the people who murdered her family. While all the upcoming cameos remain shrouded in some level of mystery, Ballerina will still feature enough John Wick characters to firmly plant it into the universe.
Source: Collider