The John Wick movies may, or may not be over and done, but what’s clear is that John Wick as a franchise, and as a universe in which to tell stories, is far from done. We’re about to get the premiere of The Continental on Peacock, and next year we’ll see Ana de Armas star in the John Wick spinoff movie Ballerina. Fans are certainly looking forward to this one, and director Len Wiseman recently provided update on its status.
Ballerina isn’t set to open until next summer, so it’s probably going to be some time before we actually get to see any of it, but Underworld franchise director Len Wiseman, who is helming Ballerina recently told EW that, he just finished his “director’s cut” of the movie, saying…
We're on a pause right now, but I've just finished the director's cut. Had an amazing shoot. It's a really fun movie.
This is certainly great news if you’re excited about Ballerina. If Len Wiseman has finished a director’s cut then there is at least a version of the movie that is essentially done and ready for release. It’s unclear if there’s already a plan to release a director’s cut version of the film or if this is just his edit that he has now submitted to the studio, which could see some additional changes before it's finalized, but it sounds like things are certainly moving forward.
Wiseman saying the movie is “on pause” does indicate, however, that there may still be a bit more work to do. A lot of movies are on pause right now due to the two strikes taking place simultaneously with both Hollywood writers and actors. While Ballerina’s main shoot is clearly done, if there are reshoots that need to be done, those are certainly on hold until these strikes are resolved.
With a release date of next summer, there’s still plenty of time for that to all be taken care of and still hit the date without a problem, even if there is still significant work that needs to be done. That puts Ballerina in a much better position than a lot of projects. Several high-profile projects had to stop filming in the middle of principal photography and their future remains unclear as both strikes remain ongoing. And even if one of them gets resolved, the other would still leave many movies in limbo.
Of course, the big question regarding John Wick and the movies is if there will be more of them, or if Keanu Reeves’ cameo in Ballerina will be the last we see of him. The John Wick: Chapter 4 ending gave the series a conclusion, though not one that can’t be escaped if everybody involved is willing to do so. A John Wick: Chapter 5 had been planned at one point, so seeing that movie eventually certainly isn’t impossible.
