Regardless of conflicting opinions on the final Daniel Craig James Bond film, No Time To Die, everyone can agree that Ana de Armas stole the show in her brief scenes as special agent Paloma, even though those scenes were not part of the original script. Since then, Bond fans, action movie fans, and fans of de Armas have all said the same thing: Give this amazing performer her own solo outing in an action movie. In theory, the Bond franchise would have been wise to fast-track a Paloma stand-alone movie right away, but now, it seems like de Armas’ next big movie could be even better than that Bond-fan fever dream.
The first trailer for Ballerina has dropped and as Ana de Armas steps into the world of John Wick, this looks like the next massive action movie of 2025, and perhaps, the shot in the arm that the larger John Wick franchise needs.
Taking place between John Wick: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, Ballerina will tell the origin story of a new assassin named Eve Macarro (de Armas). While a portion of the movie seems to be focused on her training under Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) and the Director (Anjelica Huston), the primary story seems to be led toward Eve getting revenge for the slaying of her father, and, in at least one scene, catching-up with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) so she can “start doing what you do.”
This scene with Reeves seems to be just a cameo, but it also indicates that this John Wick spinoff might have broader appeal than some of the other projects set in the same universe. The 2022 series The Continental is great for John Wick diehards, but perhaps, hasn’t convinced the general public that we can have a John Wick project without John Wick front-and-center. This proposition is similar to a James Bond movie without James Bond, which, again, probably would have worked just fine if de Armas had been the lead.
But, if the epic trailer for Ballerina is any indication, Ana de Armas can carry this movie even if John Wick is barely in it. It's nice to have an established action character lend credibility to a larger franchise, it will be exciting to see if Ballerina could become its own thing. Because the only thing that could defeat Ballerina has nothing to do with action or its fantastic star. Instead, the only real enemy Eve has to worry about is defeating too much baggage from existing John Wick continuity. Hopefully, being the gentleman that he is, John Wick will step aside quickly, and let the the dance of this film unfold all on its own.
