It seems that Keanu Reeves is not taking a break from portraying the prolific assassin John Wick. Collider reported that the actor is in Prague for the filming of the spinoff movie Ballerina. The new film will star Ana de Armas with Reeves reprising his role as John Wick. It is not yet clear if Reeves will have a significant role in the film. Fans have been speculating that Wick will be playing the role of mentor to the younger assassin Rooney. Ian McShane will also be reprising his role as Winston, who manages The Continental hotel. He is also reportedly in Prague for filming of the spinoff. Len Wiseman will direct Ballerina. The director previously worked on the Underworld franchise as well as the remake of Total Recall. Longtime series director, Chad Stahelski, will join the spin-off as a producer. Wiseman will be co-writing the screenplay with Shay Hatten. Hatten also wrote the screenplay for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and the upcoming fourth and fifth movies of the series. The screenwriter also worked on the Netflix films Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves. Details for the plot of Ballerina are limited at this point. We know that de Armas will be playing the role of Rooney. The younger assassin is seeking revenge for the murder of her family. Rooney’s character first appeared in John Wick 3 with Anjelica Huston’s character “The Director.” The ballerina was played by Unity Phelan in the previous film and could be seen dancing on stage while assassins were infiltrating the theater. It is unclear whether Huston will reprise her role as The Director. The John Wick franchise is expanding beyond the main-line films. Ballerina will be one of two spin-off titles set in the John Wick universe. There is also interest from Lionsgate to make an AAA game based on John Wick. The other project will be The Continental TV series. The show will serve as a prequel to the events of the first film and feature a much younger Winston. It will delve into the origins of The Continental Hotel and its status as a safe haven for assassins. John Wick: Chapter 5 is reportedly also in development. The producers originally planned to shoot the fourth and fifth movies back-to-back. The filming for the fifth movie likely gave way to production of the spinoff title.
