John Wick franchise director and creative overseer Chad Stahelski addresses Ballerina’s reshoots and clarifies just how involved he was in the film. Serving as the first feature film John Wick spinoff, Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as Eve, an assassin seeking revenge for the murder of her family. The film, which hails from director Len Wiseman, has been the subject of numerous reports regarding reshoots that took place after principal photography, with Stahelski rumored to have become more heavily involved in the project.

During a recent interview with THR in celebration of John Wick’s 10th anniversary, Stahelski comments on Ballerina and just what went down with the spinoff. The director explains that, at first, he wasn’t involved in Ballerina at all, as he was busy with John Wick: Chapter 4:

“When they said they wanted to do
Ballerina
, I was still knee-deep in
John Wick: Chapter 4
prep, and that was the most important thing in my life at the time. So you try to give everything you can, but you’re not really overseeing it. I wasn’t really part of [
Ballerina
] other than, ‘Hey, go with God. This is what made these good. Try to hold on to these axioms, and you’re good.'”

Stahelski goes on to outline the challenges that faced the spinoff, outlining just how miraculous it is that the first John Wick, which he co-directed with David Leitch, ended up being as good as it was. He explains that attempting to recapture this magic in a bottle with an entirely new creative team was always going to be tricky:

“So, what do you think the chances are that they’re going to nail it on the first go? We even talked about it. But they got Ana and they got the vibe right, and while [director] Len [Wiseman] had really no money and time compared to what I had on
John Wick: Chapter 4
, they got quite far. They got something that was really interesting with massive potential. It was a big swing.”

As for the Ballerina reshoots, Stahelski downplays just how extensive they were. According to the director, Wiseman didn’t have the time or money needed to pull off certain sequences in the film, and Stahelski, in his capacity as the franchise’s creative overseer, ultimately got involved and helped to take it that extra step. Contrary to reports that the reshoots took two to three months, the filmmaker confirms it was actually only “a couple of weeks.” Read his comment below:

“So we went through it, and Keanu and I sorted out what we’ve been talking about today. We went back in with my writing team that had done
John Wick: Chapter 4
, and my stunt team, and
we just gave it a little shine together with Len and what he had already done
. It wasn’t that much. Everybody’s like, ‘Ahh!’ But, no, we just went in for a couple of weeks.
“We changed some of the action sequences and made up for some time that Len just didn’t have. He didn’t have enough time to do some of the bigger shots that it deserved. There was a weather thing in Austria, and so we got to go back in for that.”

What Stahelski’s Ballerina Clarifications Mean For The Film
The John Wick Spinoff Faces High Expectations After Chapter 4

Screen Rant already released its own report regarding Ballerina’s reshoots, correcting some erroneous information that was making the rounds, and Stahelski’s comments largely confirm that there’s been a great deal of exaggeration when it comes to the film. Reshoots are a common part of the filmmaking process, after all, and it certainly sounds as if vast portions of the movie did not have to be reshot. The fact that Wiseman “got the vibe right,” is a crucial ingredient, and it would suggest that the film will feel like a natural extension of the John Wick universe.

In addition to de Armas, the

Ballerina
cast
includes franchise veterans like Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and the late Lance Reddick.

If Ballerina feels like a John Wick movie, it may already have a leg up on The Continental, which ended up earning somewhat mixed reviews in 2023. It’s not clear what Ballerina’s budget is, but it’s clearly been made for considerably less than John Wick: Chapter 4’s budget of $100 million. Since John Wick: Chapter 4 reviews were glowing and the film was a massive hit, it’s not surprising that a little more money was injected into Ballerina after the fact to help it meet these heightened audience expectations, which weren’t in place when the spinoff was first conceived.

Our Take On Ballerina’s Reshoots Situation
The John Wick Spinoff Could Determine The Franchise’s Future

Though it’s easy to paint Ballerina as a movie in trouble, Stahelski’s comments certainly suggest that this isn’t the case. He obviously wouldn’t say if it was, but the director continues to be candid in interviews, and his comments line up with some of the reporting that’s been done. Ballerina will certainly struggle to match the thrills and execution of the John Wick movies no matter what, but the fact that the reshoots were about enhancing the existing material rather than just redoing vast sections of the movie is an important distinction to make.

Related When Ballerina Takes Place In The John Wick Timeline Ana de Armas’ spinoff movie Ballerina expands the John Wick universe, and when it takes place in the franchise timeline is officially confirmed.

Ballerina will be a major test for the franchise, as it’s the first time that Stahelski won’t be directing. As the filmmaker explains, it’s clearly a challenge to recreate his signature brand of action with a different stunt and creative team, and this will continue to be a struggle that future expansions of the franchise face. Hopefully, Stahelski’s extra work on Ballerina pays off and the film delivers that classic John Wick experience.

Source: THR

Ballerina is a spinoff movie set in the universe of John Wick. Ana de Armas will play the titular role, a character who appeared in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum as a child ballerina who was being trained to become an assassin eventually. In Ballerina, the story follows de Armas’ character, who wants revenge on those who murdered her family. Director Len Wiseman Release Date June 7, 2024 Studio(s) Summit Entertainment , Thunder Road Films , 87Eleven Productions Distributor(s) Lionsgate Writers Shay Hatten , Emerald Fennell Cast Ana De Armas , Anjelica Huston , Gabriel Byrne , Lance Reddick , Catalina Sandino Moreno , Norman Reedus , Ian McShane , Keanu Reeves Expand